Abstract
This study investigated the ways that principal leadership practice is shaped by religion and spirituality, both in terms of how beliefs inform their work and in relation to how religion and spirituality are manifest in school and community. Data were collected over a 6-month period from public school principals working in mixed Catholic-Muslim communities in the Philippines. The authors developed a conceptual framework that integrated research on principals with multidisciplinary work on spiritual capital and religious capital. Findings suggested that religion and spirituality are very important to principals as individuals and that spirituality and religion form two closely related (but distinct) symbolic systems in which principals must participate to effectively lead in school and community. The study also raised interesting methodological issues related to translation and to cultural relevance for the Australian-based researchers.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Jeffrey S. Brooks
Jeffrey S. Brooks is a Professor of Education in the School of Education at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. His research centers on the ways that socio-cultural dynamics such as racism, globalisation and social justice influence (and are influenced by) educational leadership.
Melanie C. Brooks
Melanie C. Brooks is a Senior Lecturer in Educational Leadership in the Faculty of Education at Monash University. She is a J. William Fulbright Senior Scholar grant recipient to the Philippines and has conducted research in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, the United States, Australia, and Egypt. Her areas of expertise include culturally responsive school leadership, Islamic schooling, and education in contexts of conflict.