Ticking Clocks, Shaping Schools: A Comparative Analysis of Principals’ Time Use in Canada and Chile

• In Event: Leadership, Collaboration, and Time in Schools: Comparative Insights for Peaceful and Effective Education

Proposal

Introduction and Study Purpose

Socio-political changes over the last two decades have redefined the role of school principals, expanding their duties and rendering their work more demanding. This is manifested in the volume, complexity, and time required to perform their roles effectively. A global consensus confirms that principals typically work beyond their stipulated hours, a trend particularly evident in Western nations like the U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Italy compared to those in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. While national context significantly influences principals' time use, there is limited evidence from South America, specifically Chile. This study aims to understand and compare the time usage of school principals in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada, with those in Chile, exploring similarities and differences between these North and South American contexts.

Review of Literature and Study Rationale

Globally, principals operate within a context of educational reform, creating a sense of homogeneity in role expectations. In Chile, the principalship has become highly complex, with leaders responsible for a wide range of tasks beyond traditional academic and administrative duties. Chilean principals report insufficient time for their responsibilities, with simultaneous demands adding to their stress. While commonalities exist, a nation's specific societal expectations, governance, and policies influence how principals allocate their time and develop their leadership style. Factors like school size, location, socio-economic status, and gender further shape daily actions.

A comparative analysis of time use among principals in Canada and Chile can illuminate the changing nature of their work across the Americas and the organizational skills they develop in different national contexts. It may also reveal work styles specific to each education system. This study explores: a) differences in principals’ time use at work in BC, Ontario, and Chile; b) how time use varies demographically; and c) what this use of time reveals about the changing nature of their work in these jurisdictions.

Research Methodology

This comparative study utilizes data from three jurisdictions: provincial surveys from British Columbia (BC, 2019) and Ontario (ON, 2019), and a national survey from Chile (2022) that included questions from the Canadian surveys. Study variables included the total average weekly work hours and the average hours spent on specific activities: student-related tasks, parent/community engagement, staff-related activities, personal professional development, and school administration. The study compared time use across variables like gender, experience, school type, poverty level, and school size.

Non-parametric tests (Man-Whitney, Kruskal Wallis) were used to investigate differences in time use between jurisdictions and across independent groups. T-tests and ANOVA were used to compare differences across demographic characteristics. An excerpt of the findings is presented below.

Findings

Overall Work Hours: On average, principals in Ontario (M=57.2 hours, SD=8.9) work the longest weeks, followed closely by those in BC (M=57.0, SD=8.3). Principals in Chile work significantly fewer hours on average (M=46.3, SD=2.8). This difference persists despite BC and ON principals not being part of teachers' unions, while Chilean principals, despite growing responsibilities in school improvement, have less authority in human resources management. However, within each jurisdiction, work hours were consistent between elementary and secondary school principals.

Time Allocation by Activity Category: Significant differences emerged in how principals allocated their time:
• Parent/Community Activities: Chilean principals spent a significantly larger proportion (16.0%, Avg=7.2 hrs) of their time on these activities compared to Ontario (11%, Avg=6.3 hrs) and BC (9.0%, Avg=5.2 hrs) principals.
• Student-Related Activities: Ontario principals devoted the most time to this category (47.0%, Avg=27.0 hrs), followed by BC (38%, Avg=21.0 hrs) and Chile (29.0%, Avg=13.0 hrs).
• Staff-Related Activities: Ontario principals again spent the most time (27.0%, Avg=13.5 hrs), followed by BC (21%, Avg=12.0 hrs) and Chile (14.0%, Avg=6.3 hrs).
• School Administration: Ontario (30.0%, Avg=17.0 hrs) and BC (29%, Avg=16.6 hrs) principals spent nearly double the proportion of time on administration compared to Chilean principals (17.0%, Avg=8.0 hrs).
• Personal Professional Activities: Time spent on their own professional development was consistent across all three jurisdictions, at approximately 10% of their total hours (avg. 5-6 hours).

Principals' Perceptions of Time Use: When asked what activities they should spend more time on, a majority of principals in BC (49.2%) and Chile (45.8%) believed they spent the same amount of time needed on student discipline/attendance, while most in Ontario (58.0%) felt they should spend less. Over 50% of principals in ON and Chile felt they spent the right amount of time on student-related activities, but those in BC believed they should spend more. Principals universally agreed they should spend the same hours on student transportation and walking hallways/playgrounds, but more time on classroom walk-throughs.

Non-Parametric Test Results: Kruskal Wallis tests confirmed significant differences (p<.05) in actual hours spent on activities. The mean rank of total hours was highest in ON (769.53), followed by BC (764.38) and Chile (221.72). Key activity-specific findings include:
• Student Discipline/Attendance: BC (M=7.4 hrs) and ON (M=10.4 hrs) principals spent far more time than Chilean principals (M=1.3 hrs).
• Walking Hallways/Playgrounds: BC (M=6.53 hrs) and ON (M=6.96 hrs) principals spent significantly more time on this than their Chilean counterparts (M=1.76 hrs).
• Classroom Walk-Throughs: Chilean principals (M=2.99 hrs) spent more time than those in BC (M=2.65 hrs) but less than those in ON (M=3.62 hrs).
• Curriculum & Leadership: Ontario principals spent the most time (M=4.36 hrs), followed by BC (M=3.48 hrs) and Chile (M=2.11 hrs).
The minimal time Chilean principals spend on curriculum and instructional leadership, a core requirement of the Chilean Leadership Framework (2015), suggests their core role as instructional leaders is being sidelined by external administrative demands from municipal and national governments.

Conclusion and Implications

This research adds to the evidence of a global trend where principals are consumed by administrative and managerial activities, often at the expense of instructional leadership tasks. Despite variations due to national and demographic contexts, principals in all three jurisdictions face common challenges that place excessive demands on their time. These demands critically impact their health and wellbeing, leading to stress, exhaustion, and impaired decision-making. The pressure also fosters negative emotional responses like frustration, isolation, and a lack of acknowledgment. Ultimately, work encroaching on personal time leaves principals with little energy for self-improvement, threatening their effectiveness and sustainability in the role.

Authors

• Fei Wang, The University of British Columbia

• Jose Weinstein

• Leila Baktash, The University of British Columbia

• Gonzalo Muñoz, Diego Portales University