Leadership in learning and change: An evaluation of leadership in the context of implementing a Bible College programme

Abstract

RESEARCH QUESTIONS: 1. Is there congruency between the LBC's Leadership Team vision and the actualisation of the LBC [Lifestyle Bible College] at this stage of the implementation process?

2. What leadership challenges and issues are inhibiting the implementation of the LBC programme?

3. What improvements need to be made so that the issues inhibiting the implementation of the LBC programme can be addressed?

Leadership needs to be examined when a change process within a learning context renders significant problems. This thesis sets out to explore the nature of leadership, and its application in the context of implementation of a bible college programme. The literature review focused on discussion of leadership style, change, and culture and how they are interwoven in an educational setting. The concepts of vision and change are prominent.

The research adopted a qualitative methodology involving empowerment evaluation of the effectiveness of a bible college leadership team to gain an in depth understanding of view and application of leadership, its process in developing a vision to move away from a discipleship based learning programme to the bible college model. The first phase of data collecting involved conducting interviews with leaders involved in the implementation about their views and practices of leadership. Concurrently learners were questioned about their experience in the bible college and their views of the leadership in its implementation through an online survey. The second phase findings from the leaders and learners data in phase one provided a discussion point for a leadership focus group with the leadership team to provide them with an alternative dimension and critique of the bible college leadership from those it directly affected.

Themes that evolved from the findings were related to leadership integrity, a mismatch in needs of learners and vision. The research found that the leadership lack of commitment to the vision was mirrored by the learners. The recommendations that come from this research are that the bible college needs to re examine its vision and adjust it to incorporate the needs of the learners. Leaders need to analyse carefully the impacts on constituents before implementing change. Learners needs are best identified by empowering learners to feed into the decision making process for issues that directly impact on their learning.