Exploring the experiences of department heads in promoting positive work ethics among educators
Abstract
Research objectives (aims) and problem(s): Poor work ethics among educators in disadvantaged schools remain a persistent challenge, undermining teacher performance, learner outcomes, and institutional effectiveness. Despite their pivotal role in enforcing professional standards, little is known about how department heads experience and navigate their responsibilities in promoting ethical workplace behaviour. This study explores the experiences of department heads in promoting positive work ethics among educators in disadvantaged schools. The study aims to examine how department heads lead efforts to promote positive work ethics and to understand the challenges they face in doing so.
Research methods: The research adopts a constructivist paradigm, using a qualitative approach to gather insights into the lived experiences of 20 department heads with at least five years of leadership experience. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
Process of argumentation: Through the voices of department heads, the study develops an understanding of how ethical leadership is enacted in challenging school environments. The argument is built around the actions department heads take—such as role modeling, monitoring, and fostering development—and how these actions are constrained by contextual limitations, such as limited resources, political interference, and lack of incentives.
Research findings and their impact on the development of educational sciences: The findings reveal that department heads play a crucial role in addressing ethical challenges by fostering a culture of accountability, communication, and professional development. They set a positive example through role modeling, monitor educators’ performance, and create opportunities for growth and collaboration. The study also highlights significant barriers, such as inadequate rewards, school politics, and scarce resources that affect morale and educator effectiveness. These insights contribute to educational sciences by deepening the understanding of leadership practices in ethically challenging environments.
Conclusions and/or recommendations: Addressing the identified challenges requires systemic reforms, including the implementation of transparent reward systems, the promotion of collaboration, and the reduction of workplace politics. By addressing these issues, department heads can better foster a positive work ethic, enhance teacher performance, and support improved learner outcomes in disadvantaged school contexts.
References
Abakah, E. (2023). Teacher learning from continuing professional development (CPD) participation: A sociocultural perspective. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 4, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2023.100242
Cherkowski, S., Walker, K. D., & Kutsyuruba, B. (2015). Principals’ moral agency and ethical decision-making: Toward a transformational ethics. International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership, 10(5), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.22230/ijepl.2015v10n5a572
Creswell, J. (2012). Research design: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Darling-Hammond, L., Flook, L., Cook-Harvey, C., Barron, B., & Osher, D. (2020). Implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development. Applied Developmental Science, 24(2), 97–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2018.1537791
Debeş, G. (2021). Teachers’ and administrators’ perception about the concepts of “ethical behavior” and “attitude”: Teachers’ and administrators’ perception. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 13(1), 756–772.
Engkus, E. (2023). Enhancing public services in the West Java provincial government: Unraveling challenges, defining essence, and proposing solutions. Journal of Current Social and Political Issues, 1(2), 54–61. https://doi.org/10.15575/jcspi.v1i2.475
Fesenmyer, L. (2023). A spirit of revitalization: Urban Pentecostalism in Kenya, written by Mugambi, Kyama M. Journal of Religion in Africa, 54(1), 100–102. https://doi.org/10.1163/15700666-12340276
Furnham, A. (2021). The Protestant work ethic: The psychology of work related beliefs and behaviours. Routledge.
Guerrero-Dib, J. G., Portales, L., & Heredia-Escorza, Y. (2020). Impact of academic integrity on workplace ethical behaviour. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 16(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-020-0051-3
Huda, M. (2022). Towards an adaptive ethics on social networking sites (SNS): A critical reflection. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 20(2), 273–290. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-05-2021-0046
Jacob, L. L. (2022). Learners’ problem behaviour in the classroom: Teachers’ explanations and interventions in selected primary schools in Midrand, South Africa (Doctoral dissertation). University of Witwatersrand.
Janiah, S., Suriansyah, A., & Effendi, R. (2023). The correlation of school principal communication, work ethic, and work motivation to teacher performance. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 6(1), 336–342.
Kalane, P. D., & Rambuda, A. M. (2022). Factors impacting heads of department’s management of teaching and learning in primary schools: A South African perspective. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 21(1), 195–216. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.1.12
Kaptein, M. (2023). A paradox of ethics: Why people in good organizations do bad things. Journal of Business Ethics, 184(1), 297–316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05142-w
Klenke, K. (2016). Qualitative research in the study of leadership. Emerald Group Publishing.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2023). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations. John Wiley & Sons.
Kreuzfeld, S., Felsing, C., & Seibt, R. (2022). Teachers’ working time as a risk factor for their mental health—Findings from a cross-sectional study at German upper-level secondary schools. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12680-5
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2022). The burnout challenge: Managing people’s relationships with their jobs. Harvard University Press.
Men, L. R., Qin, Y. S., & Jin, J. (2022). Fostering employee trust via effective supervisory communication during the COVID-19 pandemic: Through the lens of motivating language theory. International Journal of Business Communication, 59(2), 193–218. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884211020491
Mertens, D. M. (2005). Transformative paradigm: Mixed methods and social justice. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(3), 212–225. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689807302811
Narain, A. P. (2015). The role of management and leadership in addressing learner discipline: A case of three secondary schools in Pinetown Education District (Doctoral dissertation). University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood.
Nassereddine, M., & Nassreddine, G. (2024). The impact of continuous professional development activities on student learning outcomes and employability. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 13(5), 2971–2978. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i5.29400
Nkabinde, M. M. B. (2012). The roles and responsibilities of foundation phase heads of department (Master's thesis). University of Pretoria.
Pieters, W. R. (2018). Assessing organisational justice as a predictor of job satisfaction and employee engagement in Windhoek. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 16(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v16i0.928
Prabhu, G. (2021). Antidote to workplace incivility: Insights from information technology sector. Pacific Business Review (International), 14(5), 117–129.
Robinson, A., & Harris, V. (2022). ‘He or she maybe doesn’t know there is such a thing as a review’: A qualitative investigation exploring barriers and facilitators to accessing medication reviews from the perspective of people from ethnic minority communities. Health Expectations, 25(4), 1432–1443. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.13482
Ryan, R. M., Duineveld, J. J., Di Domenico, S. I., Ryan, W. S., Steward, B. A., & Bradshaw, E. L. (2022). We know this much is true: A meta-review of meta-analytic findings evaluating self-determination theory. Psychological Bulletin, 148(11–12), 813–842. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000385
Schildkamp, K., van der Kleij, F. M., Heitink, M. C., Kippers, W. B., & Veldkamp, B. P. (2020). Formative assessment: A systematic review of critical teacher prerequisites for classroom practice. International Journal of Educational Research, 103, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101602
Serang, S., Ramlawati, R., Suriyanti, S., Junaidi, J., & Nurimansjah, R. A. (2024). The role of ethical leadership on employees’ behaviours and commitment to the organisation. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 22, 1–11. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-sajhrm_v22_n1_a2373
Tapala, T. T., Fuller, M., & Mentz, K. (2022). Perceptions of departmental heads on their curriculum leadership roles: Voices from South Africa. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 21(4), 816–829. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2020.1854790
Zakaria, Z. (2021). The influence of work ethic, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviour on work productivity of state elementary school teachers in Mawar Village, Banjarmasin City. Hut Publication Business and Management, 1(1), 37–52.
Zhenjing, G., Chupradit, S., Ku, K. Y., Nassani, A. A., & Haffar, M. (2022). Impact of employees' workplace environment on employees' performance: A multi-mediation model. Frontiers in Public Health, 10(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.890400
Copyright (c) 2025 Peter Babajide Oloba, Melisha Govender
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
-
The Author/Authors declares/declare that their publication is original has not been published before and is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere and does not include borrowings from other works which might cause Publisher's responsibility, does not infringe the rights of the third party and that their copyright on this publication is not limited. The Author/Authors will incur all the costs and will pay compensations which might result from the mendacity of the following statement.
-
The Author/Authors declares/declare that issues about publication ethics, have been appropriately considered.
-
The Author/Authors agrees/agree to publish the article free of charge in Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education in English or Spanish. The Editorial Board reserves the right to shorten the texts and change the titles.
-
As part of free publication mentioned in § 1, the Author/Authors agrees/agree to make the full electronic version of their article available in the Internet.
- The Author/Authors agrees/agree to index their article in databases at home and abroad, including abstracts and keywords as well as Authors’ affiliation in English and in other languages. The Author/Authors agrees/agree to pass on the information mentioned above to the owners of these databases.
-
The Author/Authors declares/declare that the article is free of plagiarism.
-
The Author/Authors declares/declare that funding and conflict of interest information has been included in the article.
-
The Author/Authors accepts/accept that the author is aware of the consequences of scientific dishonesty, which, once detected, will be documented and disclosed to the public, and information about it will be communicated to the relevant institutions (universities employing the authors, scientific societies, publishing houses, etc.).
-
The Author/Authors declares/declare to publish the text in the Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-ND 4.0).
- For one Author. Please complete the Author Statement and send it to the editorial office. Please download, complete, scan and attach the file in the system during the submission process.
Download: Author Statement -
For more than one Author. The Authors declare to bear complete responsibility for the scientific reliability of the article submitted. The detailed contribution of all co-authors is defined. Please complete the Authors Statement-Authorship Contributions and send it to the editorial office. Please indicate the specific contributions made by each author (list the authors’ initials, e.g., JKH). Please download, complete, scan and attach the file in the system during the submission process.
Download: Authors Statement - Authorship Contributions
