Campus Location

Dallas Campus (Online)

Date of Award

7-2020

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0347-2006

Document Type

Dissertation

Department

Organizational Leadership

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

John Kellmayer

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

Simone Elias

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

Julie A. McElhany

Abstract

This qualitative study describes the lived experiences of kindergarten through 12th-grade leaders (K-12) relative to the increased accessibility of information communication technology (ICT) and work-life balance (WLB). Technology has evolved and become more accessible in the 21st century in individuals’ personal and professional lives. Research has shown the impact of ICT in other high demanding professions, with little research available relative to the impact with K-12 leaders. However, the role of the K-12 leader is likewise considered highly demanding with extended work hours. The K-12 leader is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the principalship, being available after hours for meetings and other events, serving as instructional and curriculum leader, and in recent years has been called to take on the role of technology leader. Hence, the purpose of this research was to determine the impact, if any, of the increased access to ICT on K-12 leaders and WLB. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, the researcher describes experiences of K-12 principals and WLB relative to the increased access of ICT. K-12 principals describe the experience as one that is overwhelming, includes the role of technology leader, is perceived as both a help and hindrance, and is a position that may benefit from WLB policies. The researcher collected data using semistructured interviews in an online platform called Zoom. The sample consisted of eight K-12 principals from major suburban schools in Texas. The concluding chapter presents key conclusions and implications of this study’s findings, insights, and recommendations.

Keywords: boundary theory, ICT, school principal or school leader, stress, WLB

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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