'If You Want to be a Khan, be With Your People': Educational Leadership in Rural Schools in Kazakhstan.

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 4:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Leadership for Resilience and Equity in Rural and International Contexts

Abstract

This phenomenological study aims to explore the understanding and practice of leadership in rural schools in Kazakhstan. This research presents findings from the analysis of a case study conducted at a rural school in Kazakhstan. Based on the data from the interview and focus group discussion transcriptions with the rural school Director (Principal), teachers, and parents, the background information about Auyl rural school and participants' understanding of leadership are discussed. To better understand the various contradictions in rural schools, this research used the perspective of new institutionalism to consider the conflict between agency and structure. Findings revealed that the village school director operates within a highly centralised governance structure where hierarchical requirements, bureaucratic layers, and coercive isomorphism dominate leadership decisions.

Author

• Bauyrzhan Kaziyev, Nottingham University