The journey of a novice principal: her struggle to maintain subjective wellbeing and be spiritual school leader

Article

Carter, Susan. 2018. "The journey of a novice principal: her struggle to maintain subjective wellbeing and be spiritual school leader." International Journal of Education. 10 (3), pp. 119-142. https://doi.org/10.5296/ije.v10i3.13542
Article Title

The journey of a novice principal: her struggle to maintain subjective wellbeing and be spiritual school leader

ERA Journal ID200726
Article CategoryArticle
Authors
AuthorCarter, Susan
Journal TitleInternational Journal of Education
Journal Citation10 (3), pp. 119-142
Number of Pages24
Year2018
Place of PublicationUnited States
ISSN1948-5476
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.5296/ije.v10i3.13542
Web Address (URL)https://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ije/article/view/13542
Abstract

This paper contributes knowledge to the field of well-being studies, specifically as an example of how religious beliefs contribute to the maintenance of subjective wellbeing. The research study utilised a hermeneutical phenomenology study where the overarching question was: What was the lived experience of one novice female principal struggling to maintain her subjective wellbeing whilst simultaneously being a spiritual leader in her school? The Hermeneutical Circle was used as a basis to guide the investigation. The key finding of the study wasthat self-reflective meaning making and positive thinking, built capacity for leadership. In this instance, it is the interplay of educational, spiritual and mental health knowledges that strengthened leadership capacity to plan for, and to meet the complex challenges posed within the workplace.

Keywordsprincipal, subjective wellbeing, Christianity, Hermeneutical Circle
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020390499. Specialist studies in education not elsewhere classified
Public Notes

Copyright Disclaimer:
Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

Byline AffiliationsSchool of Linguistics, Adult and Specialist Education
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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