Principals’ Perceptions of Their Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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P incipals’ Pe cep ions o Thei Wo k Du ing he COVID-19 Pandemic
© The Au ho (s) 2024
Published e sion
Elomaa, Mailis; Paka inen, Eija; Eskelä-Haapanen, Si pa; Le kkanen, Ma ja-
K is iina
Elomaa, M., Paka inen, E., Eskelä-Haapanen, S., & Le kkanen, M.-K. (2024). P incipals’
Pe cep ions o Thei Wo k Du ing he COVID-19 Pandemic. In R. Ah iainen, E. Hanhimäki, J.
Leinonen, M. Risku, & A.-S. Smeds-Nylund (Eds.), Leade ship in Educa ional Con ex s in Finland :
Theo e ical and Empi ical Pe spec i es (pp. 281-299). Sp inge . Educa ional Go e nance
Resea ch, 23. h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/978-3-031-37604-7_14
2024
281
Chap e 14
P incipals’ Pe cep ions o Thei Wo k
Du ing heCOVID-19 Pandemic
MailisElomaa, EijaPaka inen, Si paEskelä-Haapanen,
andMa ja-K is iinaLe kkanen
Abs ac The p esen s udy aimed o desc ibe school p incipals’ pe cep ions o he
changes and challenges hey aced du ing he COVID-19 pandemic and wha kinds
o suppo and new compe ences hey ound impo an o managing hei wo k.
Fi y- i e Finnish p incipals comple ed an online ques ionnai e ha included open-
ended ques ions. Quali a i e con en analysis was used o analyze he da a. The
esul s showed ha p incipals expe ienced changes mainly in hei wo kload, in he
na u e o hei wo k, and a an indi idual le el, such as in amily-wo k balance and
inc eased mo i a ion. In o ma ion and communica ion echnology skills we e men-
ioned mos o en as new skills needed due o he COVID-19 pandemic, hough
some p incipals a gued ha no new skills we e needed. P incipals highly alued
suppo om he school communi y h ough discussions, lexibili y, and eamwo k,
as well as clea ins uc ions and guidelines om he uppe -le el adminis a ion. The
esul s help in planning c isis leade ship o ensu e he con inui y o high-quali y
educa ion du ing excep ional ci cums ances. As o he educa ional c ises may ollow
he COVID-19 pandemic and c isis and change managemen a e essen ial skills o
p incipals, hese skills should be aken in o accoun when e ising he p e- and in-
se ice aining cu icula.
Keywo ds School p incipals · C isis leade ship · Remo e wo k · COVID-19 ·
Suppo · Compe ences
M. Elomaa (*) · E. Paka inen · S. Eskelä-Haapanen · M.-K. Le kkanen
Depa men o Teache Educa ion, Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Jy äskylä, Finland
e-mail: [email p o ec ed]; [email p o ec ed]; [email p o ec ed]
The o iginal e sion o he chap e has been e ised. A co ec ion o his chap e can be ound a
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/978-3-031-37604-7_20
© The Au ho (s) 2024, co ec ed publica ion 2024
R. Ah iainen e al. (eds.), Leade ship in Educa ional Con ex s in Finland,
Educa ional Go e nance Resea ch 23,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/978-3-031-37604-7_14
282
In oduc ion
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused nume ous social challenges, including wo ld-
wide economic haza ds, de e io a ions in people’s well-being, and impac s on edu-
ca ion. School sys ems a ound he wo ld ha e had o adap hei ways o wo king o
add ess a ious di icul ies (Biag e al., 2021; Ha is, 2020; Pa een e al., 2022). As
he pandemic sp ead apidly ac oss he globe, he e was an u gen need o school
s a o cope wi h new demands and challenges o main ain educa ion o s uden s in
excep ional ci cums ances. Many go e nmen s o de ed schools o close o ally o
pa ly, equi ing s uden s and eache s o swi ch o emo e lea ning almos o e nigh
(Collie, 2021; Ha is & Jones, 2020). D awing om he conclusions o Biag e al.
(2021), we can be su e ha o he educa ional c ises will ollow he COVID-19 pan-
demic. The e o e, we need o lea n om he cu en si ua ion o p epa e o new
challenges and ensu e high-quali y educa ion in he u u e. School p incipals play
an impo an ole in planning, o e seeing, and suppo ing hese p ocesses.
The global pandemic has c ea ed an unp eceden ed challenge, especially o school
leade s (McLeod & Dulsky, 2021) who play a key ole as media o s be ween na ional
educa ional au ho i ies and school s a . School leade s a e posi ioned as he pinch poin
in he sys em, being elian on guidance abou COVID-19 esponses, p ocesses, p oce-
du es, and p o ocols om he uppe adminis a ion (Ha is & Jones, 2020). Acco ding
o Tho n on (2021), he challenges school leade s aced du ing he pandemic included
p epa ing eache s and s uden s o emo e lea ning o an unknown leng h o ime, sup-
po ing he well-being o s uden s and s a , and communica ing clea ly and compas-
siona ely o all s akeholde g oups. Salmela-A o e al. (2020) ound ha o ganizing
educa ion du ing emo e lea ning in sp ing 2020 dec eased school p incipals’ job
engagemen . Wo ldwide, p incipals’ al eady hea y wo kloads ha e inc eased wi h he
need o c ea e new emo e leade ship p ac ices and o ches a e eache s’ new and di e se
lea ning en i onmen s (Biag e al., 2021; Ha is & Jones, 2020).
Al hough p incipals a e used o handling smalle c ises, mos school leade s
ha e ne e deal wi h c ises o his scale and scope o as long as his COVID-19
pandemic (McLeod & Dulsky, 2021). Tho n on (2021) desc ibed i e leade ship
p ac ices unde aken by p incipals in c isis leade ship: p epa ing, add essing well-
being, communica ing e ec i ely, leading collabo a i ely, and aking oppo uni ies
o ame he discussion. She also indica ed ha c isis leade ship demands agili y, a
willingness o emb ace change, and a mindse o possibili ies o esol e c ises and
posi ion he o ganiza ion o an imp o ed u u e s a e (Tho n on, 2021). Fe nandez
and Shaw (2020) sugges ed ha o add ess possible u u e c ises, school leade s
should ake ad an age o oppo uni ies o lea n and e ol e in he cu en one. Taking
in o accoun he unpa alleled na u e o he cu en c isis, i is impo an o unde s and
how o suppo school p incipals in leading schools h ough immedia e c isis and
h ough change in he long e m. In he cu en s udy, “p incipal” e e s o a leade
o a comp ehensi e school p o iding manda o y educa ion o G ades 1–9, a e
which s uden s en e seconda y-le el educa ion.
The main pu pose o his s udy was o p o ide knowledge abou p incipals’
wo k- ela ed expe iences du ing he COVID-19 pandemic. We also in es iga ed he
kinds o new compe ences and suppo p incipals pe cei ed as necessa y du ing he
M. Elomaa e al.
283
c isis. The esul s o he s udy p o ide impo an insigh s in o ac o s ha should be
conside ed in suppo ing p incipals and p epa ing hem o possible u u e c ises.
School Leade ship Du ing heC isis
In a school con ex , a c isis can be ega ded as any u gen si ua ion ha equi es
school leade s o ake as and decisi e ac ion (Smi h & Riley, 2012). Boin e al.
(2010) de ined c isis managemen as he sum o ac i i ies aimed a minimizing a
c isis’s impac . The e ec i eness o c isis managemen can be assessed in ela ion
o aking ac ion, making su e he ask is comple ed and ul illing a symbolic need
o di ec ion and guidance (Boin e al., 2010). The execu i e asks o c isis
managemen a e ea ly ecogni ion, sensemaking, making c i ical decisions,
o ches a ing e ical and ho izon al coo dina ion, coupling and decoupling,
meaning making, communica ing, ende ing accoun abili y, lea ning, and enhancing
esilience (Boin e al., 2010). These asks a e ha d o accomplish in he bes o
ci cums ances, and he dynamics o c ises make hem e en ha de (Boin & Renaud,
2013). Acco ding o McLeod and Dulsky (2021), du ing he ea ly days o he
COVID-19 pandemic, some key challenges o school leade s we e he unique
na u e o he c isis (i.e., mos school o ganiza ions had no expe ienced a pandemic
be o e), he apid imeline, and he accompanying unce ain y ha hinde ed e ec i e
esponses. Leade s’ expe ience did no ma e signi ican ly when he COVID-19
c isis had ew “knowable componen s” (McLeod & Dulsky, 2021, p.2).
In hei sys ema ic li e a u e e iew, Pa een e al. (2022) showed ha he mos
signi ican challenges in luencing school ac i i ies du ing he COVID-19 pandemic
we e ela ed o well-being (sel -ca e, sa e y issues, and emo ional and men al
heal h), dis ibu ed leade ship, digi al gaps, he cybe secu i y o online educa ion,
and ensu ing equi y, lea ning con inui y, and quali y o educa ion. Boin and Renaud
(2013) obse ed ha join sensemaking is pa icula ly impo an o e ec i e c isis
managemen ; i decision-make s do no ha e a sha ed and accu a e pic u e o he
si ua ion, hey canno make in o med decisions and communica e e ec i ely wi h
pa ne s, poli icians, and he public (Boin & Renaud, 2013). Un o una ely, o
many school leade s du ing he i s mon hs o he pandemic, he adminis a o s and
policy-make s o en lacked an accu a e pic u e o wha was occu ing and did no
sha e wha hey knew wi h o he s in ways ha enabled e ec i e leade ship esponses
and pa ne ships (McLeod & Dulsky, 2021).
E ec i e communica ion is ano he consis en elemen o c isis leade ship, and
nume ous schola s (Ma sen, 2020; McLeod & Dulsky, 2021; Tho n on, 2021) ha e
emphasized he leade ’s ole in communica ing wi h bo h in e nal and ex e nal
audiences. Ma sen (2020) no ed ha c isis communica ion mus deal wi h bo h
issue managemen du ing he c isis and epu a ion managemen a e he c isis.
E ec i e communica ion builds us and helps c ea e sha ed unde s anding and
commi men s ac oss s akeholde s (Luce o e al., 2009).
Gene ally, school leade ship in ol es posi ioning he school o he u u e and
suppo ing and empowe ing s a and s uden s in he pu sui o eaching and lea ning
excellence (Smi h & Riley, 2012). Based on a me a-analysis conduc ed be o e he
14 P incipals’ Pe cep ions o Thei Wo k Du ing heCOVID-19 Pandemic
284
COVID-19 pandemic by Smi h and Riley (2012), he leade ship a ibu es and skills
equi ed o school leade s in imes o c isis a e di e en in na u e om hose
gene ally equi ed as pa o he “no mal” school en i onmen . In i s p ima y ocus,
leade ship in imes o c isis is nei he de elopmen al no u u e o ien ed bu conce ns
managing e en s, emo ions, and consequences in he immedia e p esen in ways
ha minimize pe sonal and o ganiza ional ha m wi hin he school communi y
(Smi h & Riley, 2012). In hei s udy on school leade s pe spec i es owa d hei
leade ship p ac ices du ing COVID-19 pandemic, A a e al. (2021) ound ha he
p incipals epo ed disco e ing o de eloping new digi al skills ha en iched hei
epe oi e while leading in he digi al e a.
Acco ding o Ha is and Jones (2020), c isis and change managemen a e now
essen ial skills o school leade s. They a gued ha unning an e ec i e school in
dis up i e imes equi es mo e han ou ine p oblem-sol ing o occasional
i e igh ing. Ins ead, all school leade s should be engaged in cons an c isis and
change managemen , which equi es suppo and collabo a ion om all s a (Ha is
& Jones, 2020). As a consequence o he high-speed changes caused by he
pandemic, a high deg ee o us among p incipal and eache s is needed o ensu e
ha issues a e add essed collec i ely as hey a ise (Ha is & Jones, 2020).
P e ious esea ch has shown ha key a ibu es o e ec i e c isis leade ship
include he ollowing: assessmen o he si ua ion and decision-making ha in ol e
sensemaking and skill syn hesis (Woo en & James, 2008); decisi e decision-making
unde p essu e (Smi h & Riley, 2010, 2012; Woo en & James, 2008); lexibili y and
la e al hinking (Smi h & Riley, 2012); and, o a easonable ex en , isk aking (Woo en
& James, 2008). Du ing he c isis, communica ion wi h di e en s akeholde s should
also be e ec i e (Fe nandez & Shaw, 2020; Tho n on, 2021; Woo en & James, 2008),
p o iding ce ain y and engende ing hope wi h empa hy and espec (Ha is & Jones,
2020; Smi h & Riley, 2012). Boin e al. (2010) ound e ec i e c isis leade ship o
in ol e ecognizing eme ging h ea s, ini ia ing e o s o mi iga e he h ea s, and
dealing wi h hei consequences, as well as ees ablishing a sense o no mali y once
he acu e c isis pe iod has passed (e.g., Daniel, 2020). In addi ion o challenges,
esea che s ha e ecognized ha c ises p o ide oppo uni ies o lea ning and de el-
opmen . As Smi h and Riley (2012) s a ed, c ises can c ea e majo oppo uni ies o a
school by gi ing i a chance o e ocus, eene gize, and y new ideas.
Remo e Leade ship
Values and pu pose, combined wi h in ape sonal and in e pe sonal knowledge, ha e
been iden i ied as cen al o e ec i e leade ship (Ha is, 2020). The same applies o
success ul school leade ship in emo e se ings, in which p incipals a e equi ed o
lead indi iduals hey a ely see (Daniel, 2020). While Kelley and Kelloway (2012)
no ed ha leading i ually migh no be as in e ac i e and e ec i e as in ace- o- ace
si ua ions, Con e as e al. (2020) p oposed ha emo e leade ship can be ad an a-
geous o no only companies’ p oduc i i y bu also he en i onmen and people
wo king he e. Howe e , o h i e in emo e wo k en i onmen s, manage s mus
adjus he companies’ s uc u es o make hem less hie a chical and de elop new
M. Elomaa e al.
285
abili ies o es ablish s ong and us ing ela ionships wi h hei employees while
e aining genuine conce n o hei employees’ well-being (Con e as e al., 2020).
Ha is (2020) sugges ed ha in imes o challenge, school leade s need o es ablish
and sus ain a collabo a i e cul u e in ol ing connec ed ne wo ks among people.
Fe nandez and Shaw (2020) ound ha educa ional leade s’ abili y o es ablish a cul-
u e o us , collabo a ion, and sha ed leade ship p io o a c isis will mo e signi i-
can ly in luence ins i u ions’ abili y o wi hs and imes o c isis. Acco ding o Smi h
and Riley (2010), he ques ion o how o de elop app op ia e c isis a ibu es and
skills o bo h p esen and u u e leade s has no been add essed in he li e a u e.
Mo eo e , he exis ing li e a u e on c isis leade ship concen a es mainly on c ises
igge ed by na u al haza ds, such as Hu icane Ka ina (Boin e al., 2010), ea h-
quakes (Much, 2015), o human in e en ions (Ka siyannis e al., 2018) a he han on
c isis simila o he one caused by COVID-19 pandemic.
Despi e g owing awa eness o he na u e o p incipals’ wo k, ela i ely li le is
known abou how school p incipals expe ience hei wo k ( o excep ions, see
Bellemans & De os, 2021; Elomaa e al., 2021; Mah ouz, 2020), pa icula ly du ing
c ises ( o excep ions, see A a e al., 2021; Tho n on, 2021). As he c isis caused by
he COVID-19 pandemic is unique in i s p olonged na u e and b ead h, i is
impo an o eco d p incipals’ pe cep ions o he kinds o challenges hey ha e
been acing du ing he cu en c isis and he kinds o suppo hey pe cei e as
necessa y o assis hem du ing he c isis and p epa e hem o u u e c ises h ough
in- and p e-se ice aining.
Aim o heCu en S udy
The p esen s udy i s desc ibes he p incipals’ pe cep ions o he changes and chal-
lenges hey aced du ing he COVID-19 pandemic. I hen elabo a es on he suppo
o leade ship and compe ences hey pe cei e as needed o manage hei wo k. The
speci ic esea ch ques ions a e as ollows:
1. How has he COVID-19 pandemic a ec ed p incipals’ wo k?
2. Which new compe ences did p incipals need o manage hei wo k du ing he
COVID-19 pandemic?
3. Wha suppo i e elemen s did p incipals need o hei leade ship du ing he
COVID-19 pandemic?
Me hodology
Da a andPa icipan s
The cu en s udy is pa o a la ge p ojec in es iga ing eache s’, s uden s’, and
p incipals’ well-being and ela ed ac o s (TESSI; Le kkanen & Paka inen,
2016–2022). The s udy was app o ed by he uni e si y’s Commi ee o E hics. The
pa icipan s o he p esen s udy we e 55 p incipals om 12 Cen al Finland
14 P incipals’ Pe cep ions o Thei Wo k Du ing heCOVID-19 Pandemic
286
municipali ies. All he p incipals o comp ehensi e schools (deli e ing compulso y
basic educa ion o s uden s in G ades 1–9) in hose municipali ies we e asked o
pa icipa e in he s udy. All pa icipan s illed ou an in o med consen o m. The
pa icipan s’ ages anged om 33 o 66yea s (mean [M]=51.3yea s, s anda d
de ia ion [SD]=7.7). Thei wo king expe ience as p incipals a ied om 0.5 o
30yea s (M=12.2yea s, SD=9, missing ou ). O all 55 pa icipan s, 5 did no
ha e a eaching obliga ion (one missing), and he numbe o eaching hou s anged
om 1 o 27 pe week (M=13.2hou s, SD=8.5, missing six). School sizes anged
om 20 o 1100 s uden s (M=373 s uden s, SD=279), and he numbe o s a
membe s in each school anged om 1 o 151 pe sons (M=37 pe sons, SD=33).
O e all, 3 pa icipan s epo ed leading 3 schools, 10 epo ed leading 2 schools,
and 42 pa icipan s epo ed leading 1 school. The pa icipan s we e assigned
andom ID numbe s om 1 o 55 o ensu e con iden iali y.
O all 55 pa icipan s, 33 wo ked emo ely o some ex en a he ime o da a col-
lec ion in sp ing 2020. The p opo ion o emo e wo k in he pa icipan s’ o al
wo king ime a ied om 10% o 100% (M=60.8, SD=32.1). Be o e he COVID-19
pandemic, 33 pa icipan s al eady wo ked emo ely as pa o hei egula wo k
a angemen s, wi h he p opo ion o emo e wo k a ying om 1% o 35%
(M=10.5, SD=8.7).
P ocedu e
The p incipals we e asked o comple e an online ques ionnai e in sp ing 2020 du -
ing he school closu e due o he COVID-19 pandemic. The ques ionnai e included
he ollowing h ee open-ended ques ions: (1) Wha kind o suppo do you eel you
need o you leade ship a he momen ? (2) How has he ongoing COVID-19
si ua ion/pandemic a ec ed you wo k? (3) Wha new compe ence has he
COVID-19 si ua ion equi ed o you? The esponses a ied om e y b ie
desc ip ions o 1 o 5 wo ds o answe s o mo e han 100 wo ds.
Analysis
The p esen s udy was conduc ed using induc i e easoning and da a-d i en con en
analysis (Pa on, 2015). Ini ially, he i s au ho pe o med he analysis
independen ly, a e which all he au ho s discussed he analysis. Du ing he
discussion, possible indings ha needed o be changed we e highligh ed. Open
coding was used o emain ecep i e o he da a and o iden i y concep s and hemes
o ca ego iza ion (Pa on, 2015). The da a we e i s o ganized in o b oad hemes
(Williams & Mose , 2019). Fi s , he p incipals’ answe s o open-ended ques ions
we e coded o eme gen desc ip ions. Second, epea ed codes we e iden i ied and
d awn oge he o de elop sub hemes (Blai , 2015). This p ocess led o he de elop-
men o h ee main hemes conce ning he ongoing COVID-19 si ua ion’s e ec on
M. Elomaa e al.
287
he p incipals’ wo k, six main hemes conce ning new compe ences needed, and
eigh main hemes on he suppo needed o leade ship. Thi d, he exis ing li e a-
u e was examined. Because he da a analysis esul s did no suppo any exis ing
concep ualiza ion, esul s, and/o heo ies, he analysis o suppo needs, he e ec
o he COVID-19 pandemic on p incipals’ wo k, and he new necessa y compe-
ences emained induc i e (see Tables 14.1, 14.2, and 14.3 o he esul s and exam-
ples o he analysis p ocesses). The hemes and sub hemes ha eme ged a e
p esen ed and u he discussed in he esul s sec ion below. Th oughou he analy-
sis, we we e pa icula ly ca e ul no o o e in e p e he p incipals’ e y b ie
sel - epo s.
Resul s
E ec o heCOVID-19 Pandemic onP incipals’ Wo k
The s udy’s i s aim was o disco e how p incipals expe ienced he COVID-19
pandemic as a ec ing hei wo k. Thus, he p incipals’ sel - epo ed desc ip ions
we e di ided in o h ee main hemes, which we e hen di ided in o sub hemes based
on he pa e ns eme ging om he da a (Pa on, 2015). These hemes a e as ollows:
(1) changes in wo kload, which was di ided in o inc eased wo kload in gene al,
cons an planning and making new a angemen s, hu y, ex ended wo king hou s,
and dec eased wo kload; (2) changes in he na u e o he wo k, which was di ided
in o changed wo k desc ip ion in gene al, unp edic abili y, and emo e lea ning; and
(3) indi idual le el, which was di ided in o inc eased mo i a ion, amily-wo k
balance, and no signi ican changes (see Table14.1).
Changes inWo kload
Thi y- ou ou o 67 p incipals epo ed changes in hei wo kloads. Pa icipan s
desc ibed a gene ally inc eased wo kload. Fo example, P4 said, “A e a no mally
al eady ull wo k desc ip ion, he e is a co ona [COVID-19] bonus ha has
unde mined he basic asks.” Unde he same sub heme, ano he p incipal desc ibed
how he inc eased wo kload in luenced hei well-being: “[The COVID-19
pandemic] has signi ican ly inc eased he wo kload and, h ough i , also a ec ed
my/one’s own coping” (P21). The second mos -men ioned sub heme unde his
heme was planning and making new a angemen s, such as con inuous a angemen s
and making apid changes in plans on a igh schedule. As P51 explained, “I am
o e wo ked. I need o eac quickly o changing si ua ions wi hou eady-made
ope a ing models—de eloping a new model, o ganizing, and implemen ing i on a
igh schedule.” P incipals’ wo king hou s we e ex ended, as one p incipal desc ibed:
“Wo king hou s ha e s e ched—easily up o 12 hou s pe day. Remo e wo k akes
14 P incipals’ Pe cep ions o Thei Wo k Du ing heCOVID-19 Pandemic
288
Table 14.1 The ongoing COVID-19 si ua ion’s e ec on wo k (N=51)
Ve ba im ex Meaning Sub heme Main heme Men ioned N (%)
A e a no mally al eady ull wo k desc ip ion, he e is a
co ona [COVID-19] bonus ha has unde mined basic asks. As
a new p incipal, no hing ollows a ou ine du ing he i s yea ,
and leading a la ge uni is e y challenging
Ex a wo kload
S e ching wo kdays
Ex a ime-consuming asks
Inc eased wo kload in
gene al (n=19)
Changes in
wo kload
34 (67)
I am o e wo ked. The e is a need o eac quickly o changing
si ua ions, wi hou eady-made ope a ing models. De eloping
new p ac ices, o ganiza ion, and implemen a ion and a igh
schedule
Con inuous a angemen s
Rapid changes in plans
New de elopmen s
Planning and making
new a angemen s
(n=20)
Hu y has inc eased, and no mal sp ing asks ha e shi ed o
summe
Rush and u gen asks Hu y (n=5)
Wo king days ha e ex ending—easily s e ch up o 12hou s
pe day. Remo e wo k akes ime in a di e en way
S e ched wo king days
Wo king on weekends
Ex ended wo king hou s
(n=6)
The e is no need o eaching o hi ing depu ies while wo king
emo ely. Mo e elaxed
A calme wo k si ua ion Dec eased wo kload
(n=2)
Wo k desc ip ion changed comple ely in a couple o days.
Al hough wo king emo ely has also been pa o he job
desc ip ion in he pas (e ening and weekend wo k a home),
i s na u e was comple ely di e en om now
The na u e o he wo k has
changed
Remo e wo k
Changed wo k
desc ip ion in gene al
(n=8)
Changes in
he na u e o
wo k
14 (27)
The whole sp ing wen new. And now we hink abou he ime
a e 14.5, and we a e a aid ha he ambigui y will con inue
in Augus
Ha d o p e en
Ambigui y
Unp edic abili y (n=4)
Mos o he con ac eaching has been shi ing o dis ance
eaching and lea ning
T ansi ion om ace- o- ace
o emo e lea ning
Remo e lea ning (n=3)
I am mo e mo i a ed now Inc eased mo i a ion
(n=1)
Indi idual
le el
5 (10)
Wo k is cons an ly in e up ed when h ee child en and a wi e
a e also a home. The e is a lo o s a ing a he sc een and
calling. The e is enough o o ganize in changing si ua ions
Wo king a home while
o he amily membe s a e
also he e
Family- wo k balance
(n=2)
In he end, su p isingly li le, bu o cou se he e ha e been
new hings o hink abou
No signi ican change
(n=2)
M. Elomaa e al.
295
skills o school leade s du ing he COVID-19 pandemic. Beauchamp e al. (2021)
unde sco ed he need o build and main ain new eaching me hods and con en and com-
munica ion sys ems du ing he COVID-19 pandemic. Such de elopmen s may be ben-
e icial in he u u e and no only in c isis si ua ions.
Suppo i e Elemen s o Leade ship
Ou indings showed ha p incipals need suppo om he school communi y
h ough discussions in he wo k communi y, join e o , lexibili y, and eamwo k.
Communica ion and coope a ion in gene al, clea ins uc ions and guidelines om
he uppe -le el adminis a ion, and suppo om supe iso s and o he p incipals in
he ield we e highly alued. P incipals’ suppo needs seem o be pa ly he same
as be o e he COVID-19 pandemic. Fo example, Elomaa e al. (2021) ound ha
p incipals need in o ma ional suppo esou ces (coope a ion, ins uc ions and
guidelines, and ele an in o ma ion), suppo om colleagues, supe iso s, and
o he p incipals, and social suppo in gene al.
Howe e , du ing he pandemic, clea ins uc ion and guidelines om he uppe -
le el adminis a ion seem o ha e been pa icula ly c ucial, while he lack o clea
ins uc ions caused a p oblem (A a e al., 2021; McLeod & Dulsky, 2021). As
McLeod and Dulsky (2021) obse ed, du ing he i s mon hs o he pandemic,
adminis a o s and policy-make s ailed o sha e in o ma ion wi h school leade s,
which may ha e hinde ed e ec i e leade ship esponses. Acco ding o Fo he ingham
e al. (2020), he quali y, quan i y, and equency o op-down communica ion con-
ibu e o school leade s’ s ess, while ho izon al communica ion and collabo a ion
be ween school leade s and ac oss school communi ies suppo leade s du ing apid
change. A a e al. (2021) ound ha he decisions he Minis y o Educa ion made
abou closing schools we e communica ed in ways ha inc eased unce ain y; mos
p incipals we e le o end o hemsel es and did no ha e a clea idea o wha o
do o how o p oceed. A he same ime, school leade s may no ully unde s and he
esponsibili ies and demands o s a egic leade s in he uppe -le el adminis a ion
(Boin & Renaud, 2013), sugges ing he need o open-minded communica ion and
coope a ion be ween di e en s akeholde s o suppo success ul school leade ship
du ing a c isis. As Luce o e al. (2009) ha e ou lined, e ec i e communica ion
builds us and helps c ea e a sha ed unde s anding and commi men among s ake-
holde s. Gi ing a en ion o and managing p ocesses o communica ion, collabo a-
ion, and change may also suppo school leade ship by allowing be e policy-making
(Fo he ingham e al. 2020).
Resea che s a e inc easingly ecognizing he impo ance and bene i s o no only
desc ibing bu also lea ning om a c isis. Boin e al. (2010) highligh ed he unique
oppo uni ies ha c ises p o ide o eshaping and e o ming o ganiza ions.
Tho n on (2021) desc ibed aking he oppo uni y o lea n a all s ages o a c isis as
one o i e e ec i e leade ship p ac ices. This oppo uni y o lea n is pa icula ly
ele an o school leade ship. Acco ding o Ha is and Jones (2020), mos school
14 P incipals’ Pe cep ions o Thei Wo k Du ing heCOVID-19 Pandemic
296
leade ship p epa a ion and aining p og ams p io o he COVID-19 pandemic
we e likely o be ou o s ep wi h he challenges school leade s ace oday. In many
cases, he exis ing p epa a ion and aining p og ams, along wi h he leade ship
models hey espouse, will equi e adical e hinking o emain ele an o aspi ing
and p ac icing school leade s (Ha is & Jones, 2020). Because coope a ion and
suppo om he school communi y we e highly alued by p incipals, dis ibu ed
leade ship, which e e s o leade ship exe cised by mul iple leade s who wo k
collabo a i ely ac oss o ganiza ional le els and bounda ies (Azo ín e al., 2019),
migh be bene icial o handling c ises. Ha is and Jones (2020) no ed ha dis ibu ed
leade ship became he de aul leade ship esponse du ing he pandemic, equi ing
mo e school leade s a all le els o connec , sha e, lea n, and ne wo k hei way
h ough he issues. Including c isis managemen in school leade s’ p epa a ion and
in-se ice aining p og ams migh help suppo p incipals now and in he u u e.
Fu he mo e, e lec ing on he esul s o he cu en esea ch, di e ences in
p incipals’ needs should be aken in o accoun when planning suppo o hem.
Likewise, as no ed by A a e al. (2021), in u u e leade ship de elopmen ,
p o essional communi ies should pay a en ion o di e en con ex s and cul u es
while sha ing bes p ac ices and designing new policies.
The esul s o his s udy sugges ha di e en app oaches o c isis managemen
and leade ship a e needed, depending on he na u e o he c isis. Fo example, Boin
and Renaud (2013) obse ed ha he i s phase o c isis managemen is ea ly ec-
ogni ion, while Tho n on (2021) highligh ed he impo ance o p epa a ion, ye nei-
he ac i i y was possible o p incipals in he COVID-19 c isis because he
pandemic s uck so apidly. Howe e , despi e he di e ences in he na u e o c ises
o in compa ison o he “no mal” si ua ion, he ole o p incipals as esponsible o
success ul school unc ioning emains he same, wi h one o hei key conce ns
being o ensu e high-quali y educa ion in all si ua ions. Simila o he esul s o he
cu en s udy, be o e he pandemic, Elomaa e al. (2021) ound ha p incipals
needed suppo om he school communi y, supe iso , and uppe -le el adminis a-
ion. While he need o clea ins uc ions and guidelines seems o ha e inc eased
du ing he c isis, i should be no ed some o he challenges ha appea ed du ing he
c isis may ha e al eady exis ed be o e he c isis and become appa en because o he
excep ional ci cums ances. Conside ing he possibili y ha o he educa ional c ises
will ollow he COVID-19 pandemic (Biag e al., 2021) and ha c isis and change
managemen a e now essen ial skills o school leade s (Ha is & Jones, 2020),
hese unea hed challenges should be aken in o accoun when e ising he cu icula
o p e- and in-se ice aining.
Limi a ions
The s udy has some limi a ions ha should be ca e ully conside ed in u u e
esea ch. Fi s , al hough he sample was la ge enough o quali a i e analysis, he
sample size was a he small. Fu he esea ch wi h a la ge sample is needed o gain
M. Elomaa e al.
297
a ulle unde s anding o p incipals’ expe iences du ing he COVID-19 pandemic.
Second, he da a we e collec ed in Finland conce ning he Finnish educa ional
con ex , which migh ha e an impac on he gene alizabili y o he esul s. Mo e
compa a i e c oss-coun y and c oss-cul u al esea ch is necessa y o add ess he
in luence o he COVID-19 pandemic on p incipals’ wo k wo ldwide. Di e en
cul u al and educa ional sys ems ha e di e en leade ship sys ems and p ac ices
om which bes p ac ices can be lea ned. Mo eo e , he da a we e collec ed only
once in he ea ly phase o he COVID-19 pandemic. To gain a deepe unde s anding
o c isis leade ship, mo e longi udinal esea ch should be conduc ed, pa icula ly
conce ning he pos -pandemic pe iod.
Conclusions
P incipals play a key ole in school unc ioning in apidly changing c isis si ua ions.
No su p isingly, he al eady-high wo kload o p incipals inc eased du ing he
COVID-19 pandemic. The essence o hei wo k changed due o emo e lea ning,
which equi ed di e en new skills and compe ences. In ca ying ou hei impo an
ole in socie y, educa ional sys ems, and schools, p incipals need clea ins uc ions
and guidelines om he uppe -le el adminis a ion, as well as suppo om hei
wo k communi y and o he p incipals in he ield. How p incipals expe ience hei
wo k is in luenced by a ious ex e nal and in e nal ac o s; hus, hei pe cep ions
should be conside ed when planning suppo and e ec i e p e- and in-se ice
aining o hem. In lea ning om he COVID-19 c ises, i is impo an o e alua e
which new p ac ices should emain and which o me p ac ices should be gi en up
so we can be be e p epa ed o u u e challenges.
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14 P incipals’ Pe cep ions o Thei Wo k Du ing heCOVID-19 Pandemic