Women's Leadership in Ghana's Catholic Colleges of Education Lived Experience and Catholic Identity

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Women Administrators; Catholic Schools; College Administration; Females; Experience; Barriers; Coping; Leadership Styles; Self Concept; Mentors; Empowerment; Democratic Values; Cooperation; Holistic Approach; College Environment; Government School Relationship; College Students; Student Characteristics; Foreign Countries

979-83-8282-400-0

This qualitative phenomenological study delves into the product of women's leadership in Catholic colleges of education in four regions of Ghana. Using the synergistic leadership and organizational culture theories as the conceptual frameworks, the study examined the essence of the lived experiences of women in leadership positions of these Catholic institutions and the Catholic identity. With a focus on Ghana, where the Church and the State Partnership manage Catholic colleges, the study sought to understand how women's leadership navigates some of the challenges that such affiliation poses to the Catholic identity of the colleges. To understand this phenomenon and answer the research questions, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 women leaders and document analysis. The data revealed four significant themes: balanced leadership, relational leadership, Catholic identity, and Catholic education. Additionally, the sub themes included mentoring and women's empowerment, democratic leadership, collaboration and consensus, leadership for learning, holistic education, Catholic culture on campus, church-state partnership, and a majority non-Catholic student population. In conclusion, critical to women's leadership is an intentional leadership formation by stakeholders in Catholic education to enhance their skills and to keep the pipeline of women's leadership secured. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

As Provided

2024

ED657304