An exploration into how a selection of primary school principals understand the meaning and the role of ethos in the life of their school.

Abstract

This research project explores the reflections of a small cohort of primary school principals in Ireland on their understanding of ethos and the role it plays in their school. The sample includes both current and ex-primary school principals who have experience of schools under a variety of patron bodies, and participants were purposefully targeted according to these criteria. Using a qualitative method of semi-structured interviews, data were gathered in the form of opinions and insights related to the meaning and role of school ethos. The primary finding that emerged from this project was related to how participants understood the term ethos itself; a variety of different meanings were attributed to the term, with many participants drawing upon loose terminology to explain what they understood ethos to mean. Other key themes to emerge were informed by this. For some participants, the official ethos of their school informed much of their understanding of ethos and the active role it could play in the life of their school. For others, the personal vision of the principal was more central to the creation and maintenance of an ethos. These findings highlight the need for further clarification on the topic of ethos. More specifically, there is a need to provide clarity on the meaning of the term ethos, the impact it can have on the school community and what role might be played by principals in this regard. An extensive, longitudinal research study on the attitudes of principals to ethos is required, with the aim of grounding any further research in attitudinal developments and changes which may occur among the target sample base over time.