CONCEPTIONS OF DEMOCRATIC SCHOOL MANAGEMENT: PHENOMENOGRAPHIC STUDY WITH PUBLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Given the scarcity of empirical studies on democratic school management in Brazil, the objective of this research is to analyze, according to phenomenography, the different conceptions of democratic school management and their implications for management practices of public school principals. Data collection used in-depth individual interviews with 19 principals of municipal elementary schools. Data were analyzed using a phenomenographic protocol established in the literature. We traced three different conceptions of democratic school management: (1) as fulfillment of roles; (2) as input for decision-making; (3) as meeting the needs of the community. The main contribution of this research is to show how these conceptions lead school principals to adopt different democratic management practices. Another contribution is to provide an alternative interpretation of the role of street-level bureaucrats and other actors who modify public policies when implementing them. The findings also show that the promotion of participation, through dialogue, fosters organizational authorship. Finally, phenomenography is presented as a promising research method for the field of school management.