Exploring the influence of collaborative leadership on the effectiveness of school improvement initiatives in Eswatini high schools
Naboth Mudavanhu Phebeni
Abstract
This study investigates the role of collaborative leadership in driving the success of school improvement plans (SIPs) in Eswatini high schools. It examines how shared decision-making, teamwork, and collective responsibility among school leaders and stakeholders contribute to achieving sustainable educational outcomes. The study is framed within Gronn's (2000) Distributed Leadership Theory, which emphasizes leadership as a shared and interactive process rather than a hierarchical role. This theory is particularly relevant as it provides a lens to understand how leadership responsibilities are distributed among principals, teachers, and other stakeholders, fostering a more inclusive and effective approach to school improvement. The study employs a qualitative approach, analyzing data collected from semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis. The sample included five principals, five deputy principals, ten teachers, five parents, and two educational officers, purposefully selected to provide varied insights. Key findings reveal that collaborative leadership fosters a culture of accountability, shared vision, innovation, and professional trust among school communities. The study found that schools practicing strong collaboration among leaders, teachers, and parents experienced more effective implementation of SIPs and improved student outcomes. The study's main outcome highlights that collaboration strengthens collective ownership of school goals, enhances communication, and leads to more sustainable school improvement efforts. The study recommends that educational policymakers integrate collaborative leadership principles into training and evaluation frameworks. It further challenges school leaders to institutionalize collaborative mechanisms such as leadership teams, participatory decision-making structures, and regular feedback loops to sustain improvements.
Keywords
school improvement plans, collaboration, collaborative leadership, principals
Author information & Contribution
Naboth Mudavanhu Phebeni. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. PhD in Leadership and Educational Management. Email: nabothphebeni2@gmail.com
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
This study was conducted under the ethical guidelines of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eswatini Ministry of Education and Training have approved and given relative clearance(s) for its conduct.
Data and Materials Availability
AI Declaration
AI tools were not used in writing this paper.
Notes
Acknowledgement
References
Abalorio, B. E. (2022). Assessment of the school improvement plan implementation in the Muslim Areas of Lanao Del Norte Division: A mixed methods study. Doctoral dissertation, La Salle University, Philippines.
Alharahsheh, H. H., & Pius, A. (2020). A review of key paradigms: Positivism vs interpretivism. Global Academic Journal Humanities and Social Sciences, 2, 39-43. https://doi.org/10.36348/gajhss.2020.v02i03.001
Ang’ana, G. A., & Chiroma, J. A. (2021). Collaborative leadership and its influence in building and sustaining successful cross-functional relationships in organizations in Kenya. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 23(8), 18-26. https://doi.org/10.9790/487X-2308061826
Ang’ana, G. A., & Kilika, J. M. (2022). Collaborative leadership in an organizational context: A research agenda. Journal of Human Resource & Leadership, 6(1), 48-71. https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t2050
Armstrong, P. W., Brown, C., & Chapman, C. J. (2021). School‐to‐school collaboration in England: A configurative review of the empirical evidence. Review of education, 9(1), 319–351. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3248
Bui, V. T. T., & Takuro, K. (2024). Exploring university-industry collaboration in Vietnam: An in-depth review of types and influencing factors. Industry and Higher Education, https://doi.org/09504222241249040
Chirongoma, S., Shumba, S., & Dube, S. (2019). Reigniting the principle of Ubuntu/Unhu in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe, in light of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Fountain: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 3(1), 15–29.
Carvalho, M., Cabral, I., Verdasca, J., & Alves, J. (2021a). Strategy and strategic leadership in education: A scoping review. Frontiers in Education, 6, e706608. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.706608
Corbett, J., & Redding, S. (2017). Using needs assessments for school and district improvement: A tactical guide. Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
Darling-Hammond, L., Burns, D., Campbell, C., Goodwin, A. L., Hammerness, K., Low, E. L. Zeichner, K. (2017). Empowered educators: How high-performing systems shape teaching quality around the world. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Dlamini, J. E, & Jedishkem, J. (2023). Challenges arising from universal free basic education, Eswatini. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, 48 (3):1–14. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2023/v48i31064
De Jong, L., Meirink, J., & Admiraal, W. (2022). School-based collaboration as a learning context for teachers: A systematic review. International Journal of Educational Research, 112, 101927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.101927
Denscombe, M. (2021). Good Research Guide: Research methods for small-scale social research. 7th Edition, Open University Press.
Doss, C., Zaber, M. A., Master, B. K., Gates, S. M., & Hamilton, L. S. (2022). The relationship between measures of preservice principal practice and future principal job performance. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 44(1), 3–28. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737211062335
Escobar, I. H. G. (2019). School improvement plans are a tool to improve the quality of education. New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(1), 440–450. https://doi.org/10.18844/prosoc.v6i1.4197
Gorard, S., See, B. H., & Siddiqui, N. (2020). What is the evidence on the best way to get evidence into use in education? Review of Education, 8(2), 570–610. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3197
Greany, T., & Brown, C. (2017). The evidence-informed school system in England: Where should school leaders be focusing their efforts? International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership, 12(3), n3. https://doi.org/10.22230/ijepl.2017v12n3a755
Gronn, P. (2000). Distributed properties: A new architecture for leadership. Educational Management & Administration, 28(3), 317–338. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263211X000283006
Hajisoteriou, C., Karousiou, C., & Angelides, P. (2018). Successful components of school improvement in culturally diverse schools. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 29(1), 91–112. https://doi:10.1080/09243453.2017.1385490
Hajisoteriou, C., Maniatis, P., & Angelides, P. (2018). Teacher professional development for improving the intercultural school: an example of a participatory course on stereotypes. Education Inquiry, 10(2), 166–188. https://doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2018.1514908.
Jedishkem, E., Dlamini, P., & Jedishkem, J. (2023). Teacher perceptions and professional experience of e-learning and practical Subjects: Views of selected teachers in the Shiselweni Region of Eswatini. Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, 10(1), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2023.101.12.20
Kaufman, M. R., Tsang, S. W., Sabri, B., Budhathoki, C., Campbell, J. (2019). Health and academic consequences of sexual victimization experiences among students in a university setting. Psychology & Sexuality, 10(1), 56–68. https://10.1080/19419899.2018.1552184
Khumalo, N. (2018). The role of human resource planning in producing well-resourced employees for the public. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 16(4), 117– 125. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.16(4).2018.11
Lin, H., & Mohammad, M. (2025). Collaborative Leadership and Teacher Autonomy: Drivers of School Improvement in Zhengzhou’s Vocational High Schools. Uniglobal Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 4(1), 38–47. https://doi.org/10.53797/ujssh.v4i1.5.2025
Liu, S., & Hallinger, P. (2018). Teacher development in rural China: How ineffective school leadership fails to make a difference. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 21(6), 633-650. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2017.1318966
Madlela, B. (2022). An investigation of progress made by tertiary institutions in implementing inclusive education in Eswatini. Open Access Library Journal, 9, e9083. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1109083
Makondo, P. V., & Tabane, R. (2023). Challenges faced by distant parented adolescent girls in Chiredzi South constituency of Zimbabwe. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 12(2), 616-623. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v12i2.2225
Meyers, C.V. and VanGronigen, B.A. (2019). A lack of authentic school improvement plan development: evidence of principal satisficing behavior. Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 57 No. 3, pp. 261-278. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-09-2018-0154
Mincu, M. E. (2015). Teacher quality and school improvement: What is the role of research? Oxford Review of Education, 41, 253–269 https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2015.1023013
Ministry of Education and Training – MOET (2022) Eswatini
Motsa, N. D. (2023). Researcher’s reflexivity in a study of gender and vulnerable children in Eswatini schools. The Qualitative Report, 28(4), 1096–1108.
Muijs, D. (2015). Improving schools through collaboration: a mixed methods study of school-to-school partnerships in the primary sector. Oxford Review of Education, 41(5), 563– 586. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2015.1047824
Naeem, M., Ozuem, W., Howell, K., & Ranfagni, S. (2023). A step-by-step process of thematic analysis to develop a conceptual model in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22, 16094069231205789. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231205789
Okeke, C. I. O., & Mazibuko, G. F. (2014). The experiences of parents of school children with special education needs: An empirical study. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(15), 227-240. https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n15p227
Nyimbili, F., & Nyimbili, L. (2024). Types of purposive sampling techniques with their examples and application in qualitative research studies. British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies, 5(1), 90-99. https://doi.org/10.37745/bjmas.2022.0419
OECD and World Bank. (2016). PISA for development: Capacity needs analysis: Cambodia. Paris: OECD. https://www.oecd.org/pisa/aboutpisa/CambodiaCapacity-Needs-Analysis.pdf
Pervin, N., & Mokhtar, M. (2022). The interpretive research paradigm: A subjective notion of a social context. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 11(2), 419-428.
Rohini, S. G., & Pentang, J. T. (2023). Improving quality of management education in India: A stakeholder’s perspective. Journal of Informatics Education and Research, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.52783/jier.v3i1.49
Ruslin, R., Mashuri, S., Rasak, M. S. A., Alhabsyi, F., & Syam, H. (2022). Semi-structured Interview: A methodological reflection on the development of a qualitative research instrument in educational studies. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education (IOSR-JRME), 12(1), 22-29.
Sarong, J. (2024). Fostering collaboration and team effectiveness in educational leadership: Strategies for building high-performing teams and networks. Randwick Int. Educ. Linguist. Sci. J, 5, 727–743. https://doi.org/10.47175/rielsj.v5i2.1005
Schlebusch, G., & Mokhatle, M. (2016). Strategic planning as a management tool for school principals in rural schools in the Motheo District. International Journal of Educational Sciences, 13, 342-348. https://doi.org/10.1080/09751122.2016.11890470
Valtakoski, A. (2020). “The evolution and impact of qualitative research in Journal of Services Marketing. Journal of Services Marketing, 34(1), 8-23. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsm12-2018-0359
Yeigh, T., Lynch, D., Turner, D., Provost, S. C., Smith, R., & Willis, R. L. (2019). School leadership and school improvement: An examination of school readiness factors. School Leadership & Management, 39(5), 434–456. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2018.1505718
Cite this article:
Phebeni, N.M. (2025). Exploring the influence of collaborative leadership on the effectiveness of school improvement initiatives in Eswatini high schools. International Journal of Educational Management and Development Studies, 6(2), 125-142. https://doi.org/10.53378/ijemds.353189
License:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) International License.
Find this article in:
Most read articles
- Social media usage and the academic performance of Filipino junior high school students
- A narrative exploration of romantic experiences and ideal relationship standards among Filipino Gen Z
- Exploring the factors influencing commuters’ satisfaction and the use of public utility buses in Quezon City, Philippines
- Students’ exposure to social media and their radical involvement on the societal issues in the Philippines
- ChatGPT integration significantly boosts personalized learning outcomes: A Philippine study
- Tiktok made me book it: The impact of Tiktok on tourism destination selection of generation Z and millennials in Manila
- Senior high school students’ awareness and literacy on computer software applications
- Self-perception of ABM students towards their academic, social and emotional college preparedness
- Enhancing financial literacy among Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries
- Emotional intelligence and leadership efficacy of university student leaders