Capturing the Realities of the Daily Time-use of School Principals

Abstract

Despite efforts over more than 40 years to measure how school principals use their time, it has proven to be methodologically challenging to capture the realities of their daily time-use. The predominant methods used have been surveys and structured observations. Decisions about which approach to use have traditionally required a trade-off in terms of the nature of the data that is yielded. In recent times, the use of a daily-log method has become more popular in research in this field since they allow both close examination of how principals spend their time and application by large samples in studies seeking to generalise findings. This research examines the efficacy of three alternative daily-log designs. Each of these daily-logs included alternative design approaches aimed at addressing the challenges highlighted in the literature of capturing principal time-use. This research involved two studies. In study one, the two daily-log designs were administered to two principals at the end of two of their work days. A think-aloud protocol (TAP) was conducted as the principals completed their time-use reports, followed immediately by a semi-structured interview. This approach revealed major flaws in the design of each of the daily-logs. Study two, examined a third daily-log design in response to findings from study one. The ‘closed-ended and diary log’ (CE+D Log) was completed by four principals, as a TAP was conducted, followed by a semi-structured interview. The principals were also shadowed by an observer for the same work day they reported their time-use. A triangulation approach was used to establish the level of agreement between the time-use data generated from the three different sources — closed-ended logs, instructional leadership diaries and shadowing encounters. Low levels of agreement were found between the closed-ended response data and the shadowing data. Additionally, a number of observed activities went unreported by principals when they were asked to report their time-use in this way. Eliciting diary responses from principals proved to be more effective. Principals reported more activities and indicated more time spent when reporting instructional leadership activities in this way. This research further illustrates the challenges inherent in attempting to capture daily time-use data. Each decision made in the design of a daily-log tool has ramifications and impinges on the ability of the design to meet other design challenges. While eliciting diary responses was somewhat successful in capturing the time that principals spent focused on instructional leadership, the rich, dense and highly contextualised data captured by the shadowing approach is what characterises the most promising method for gathering such data. This research cautions against relying solely on the daily-log method where reliable information about principal time-use is sought. It highlights the implications and benefits of research methods that integrate both daily-log data and data derived from observation.