The Application of Professional Discretion by South African Public School Principals

This paper reports on a section of the findings of a study of which the purpose, among others, was to investigate and analyse the application of professional discretion by public school principals. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach from within a pragmatist research paradigm. Data was collected by means of quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques, namely survey questionnaires followed by semi-structured interviews within the Gauteng province. The findings suggest that there are multiple scenarios in which principals are required to apply professional discretion. Factors that influence principals' professional discretion were also identified. [For the complete Volume 21 proceedings, see ED629259.]