Abstract:
This qualitative study>addresses the question of how Ontario elementary school
principals negotiate their varied work roles, through interviews with and observations of
6 principals. Using inductive data analysis, principals' negotiations were divided into 5
categories: negotiating priorities, negotiating the process, negotiating constraints,
negotiating the roles of others, and negotiating the self. These principals worked within
these categories simultaneously, emphasizing some more than others, dependent on the
circumstances. For these principals, the time they spent with people in the school and the
resulting relationships that enabled them to build were a first priority, and a large part of
how each principal chose to negotiate the demands of their role arose from their
personality and their personal values.
