Curriculum leadership practices of senior management in developing a ‘Thinking School’: A case study of a Western Cape primary school

Abstract

This research study explored the curriculum leadership practices by senior management which support the development of a selected primary school as Thinking School. A review of the literature shows that many learners in South African primary schools find reasoning and making inferences difficult. There is a need to identify what curriculum leaders do to enable teachers to teach in ways that develop thinking. A school which is an accredited Thinking School provided the site to explore best practices in enhancing thinking. This research is located within an interpretivist paradigm using a qualitative approach and a case study design. Three staff members in leadership positions and a focus group of four teachers from this primary school were purposively selected to participate in the study. Data collection took place through an online digital questionnaire, online focus group interviews, semi-structured individual interviews and documentary analysis.