Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Digitalization, School Leadership, and the New Normal: School Leaders’ Perceptions of Post-pandemic Development in School Organizations

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Power of Technology in School Leadership during COVID-19

Part of the book series: Studies in Educational Leadership ((SIEL,volume 26))

  • 84 Accesses

Abstract

School leaders have a crucial role in leading digitalization and school development. However, regarding the pandemic, digital school development comprises many different aspects and includes many different processes for school leaders to consider as the new normal. In this chapter, we analyze how school leaders perceive the development of digital practices, based on their experience from the pandemic. In this study, 300 school leaders were interviewed using a highly structured interview guide. The analysis was conducted using a conceptualization of digital school leadership as their work with four extensive processes, involving setting the direction, developing people, developing the organization, and improving teaching and learning. The study shows that school leaders visioning small steps forward using and facing many different activities ranging from new structures for communication to new digitalized teaching activities aimed to meet students’ different individual needs. As such, school leaders’ own knowledge and skills, in a variety of areas, are of importance. Reflections on practical implications regarding the complexities school leaders face in leading for digitalization post-COVID-19 as well as opportunities are presented.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Agélii Genlott, A., Grönlund, Å., & Viberg, O. (2019). Disseminating digital innovation in school – Leading second-order educational change. Education and Information Technologies, 24, 3021–3039.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbour, M. (2022). Looking back to see ahead: An analysis of K–12 distance, online, and remote learning during the pandemic. Journal of Digital Social Research, 4(2), 7–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dexter, S. (2008). Leadership for IT in schools. In J. Voogt & G. Knezek (Eds.), International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education (pp. 543–554). Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dexter, S. & Richardson, J. W. (2020). What does technology integration research tell us about the leadership of technology? Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 52(1), 17–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dexter, S., & Barton, E. A. (2021). The development and impact of team-based school technology leadership. Journal of Educational Administration, 59(3), 367–384. ERIC.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferris, R., Clarke, M., Raftery, D., Liddy, M., & Sloan, S. (2022). Digital poverty in a country that is digitally powerful: Some insights into leadership of girls’ schooling in India under COVID-19 restrictions. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 42, 34–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • From, J., Pettersson, F., & Pettersson, G. (2020). Fjärrundervisning - en central del i skolans digitalisering [Remote teaching and digitalization in school]. Pedagogisk forskning i Sverige, 25(2–3), 69–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grönlund, Å. (2014). Att förändra skolan med teknik: Bortom “en dator per elev.” [Changing school with technology: Beyond ‘one computer per student’]. Örebro Universitet.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gu, L., & Lindberg, J. O. (2021). Understanding Swedish educational policy developments in the field of digital education. In J. B. Krejsler & L. Moos (Eds.), What works in Nordic school policies? (pp. 213–233). Educational Governance Research.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gustafsson, U. (2022). Size matters: Contextual factors in local policy translations of National School Digitalisation Policy. Education and Information Technologies, 27(8), 11741–11758.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Håkansson Lindqvist, M. (2015). Possibilities and challenges in a one-to-one initiative from a school leader perspective. In E. Railean, G. Walker, A. Elci, & L. Jackson (Eds.), Handbook of applied learning theory and design in modern education (pp. 270–291). IGI Global.

    Google Scholar 

  • Håkansson Lindqvist, M., & Pettersson, F. (2019). Digitalization and school leadership: On the complexity of leading for digitalization in school. International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, 36(3), 218–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Håkansson Lindqvist, M., & Pettersson, F. (2020). Digitalization and school leadership through the lens of ecology of resources model. Paper presented at the International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies in Education (ICICTE), in Rhodes (Greece), July 2020.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, A. (2020). COVID-19. A school leadership in crisis? Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 5(3/4), 321–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Internetstiftelsen. (2020). Svenskarna och Internet 2020 (The Swedes and the Internet). https://svenskarnaochinternet.se/rapporter/svenskarna-och-internet-2018/allmant-om-internetutvecklingen/98-procent-har-tillgang-till-internet-hemma/

  • Jedeskog, G. (2005). Ch@nging school. Implementation of ICT in Swedish school, campaigns and experiences 1984–2004. Department of Education, Uppsala University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kozma, R. B. (2003). Technology and classroom practices: An international study. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 36(1), 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krein, U. (2023). What’s your take on school leadership and digitalization? A systematic review of publications from the last 20 years. International Journal of Leadership in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2023.2237939

  • Laouni, N. (2020). An investigation into the relationship between principals’ leadership styles and level of technology integration in Moroccan public schools. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 26(3), 1–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, T. T. (2022). Leadership for inclusive online learning in public primary schools during COVID-19: A multiple case study in Hong Kong. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432221135310

  • Leithwood, K., & Jantzi, D. (2006). Transformational school leadership: Its effects on students, teachers and their classroom practices. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 17(2), 201–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leithwood, K., Jantzi, D., & Steinbach, R. (1999). Changing leadership for changing times. Open University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Leithwood, K., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2008). Seven strong claims about successful schoolleadership. School Leadership and Management, 28(1), 27–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leithwood, K., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2019). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited. School Leadership and Management, 40(1), 5–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Navaridas-Nalda, F., Clavel-San Emeterio, M., Fernández-Ortiz, R., & Arias-Oliva, M. (2020). The strategic influence of school principal leadership in the digital transformation of schools. Computers in Human Behavior, 112, 106481, N.PAG-N.PAG.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Netolicky, D. M. (2020). School leadership during a pandemic: Navigating tensions. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 5(3/4), 391–395. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-05-2020-0017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perrotta, C., & Evans, M. (2013). Instructional design or school politics? A discussion of ‘orchestration’ in TEL research. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 29(3), 260–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perselli, A. K. (2014). Från datasal till en-till-en: En studie av lärares erfarenheter av digitala resurser i undervisningen [From computer rooms to one-to-one: A study of teachers’ experiences of digital resources in teaching]. (Doctoral thesis, Mid Sweden University, 196). Mittuniversitetet.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, A. L. (2014). Teachers’ perceptions of principals' ICT leadership. Contemporary Educational Technology, 5(4), 302–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettersson, F. (2018). Digitally competent school organizations: Developing supportive organizational infrastructures. International Journal of Media, Technology & Lifelong Learning, 14(2), 132–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettersson, F., & Olofsson, A. D. (2019). Learning to teach in a remote educational context – Exploring the organization of teachers’ professional development of digital competence. In A. Littlejohn, J. Jaldemark, E. Vrieling-Teunter, & F. Nijland (Eds.), Networked professional learning: Emerging and equitable discourses for professional development. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruloff, M., & Petko, D. (2021). School principals’ educational goals and leadership styles for digital transformation: Results from case studies in upper secondary schools. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2021.2014979

  • Schreier, M. (2014). Qualitative content analysis? In U. Flick (Ed.), The sage handbook of qualitative data analysis (pp. 83–101). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siljebo, J. (2023). Leading and learning through digitalization in Swedish schools – Beyond school leaders. (Doctoral thesis. Department of Education, 132, Umeå University).

    Google Scholar 

  • Skolverket. (2019). Digital kompetens i förskola, skola och vuxenutbildning [Digital competence in preschool, shool and adult education]. https://www.skolverket.se/publikationsserier/rapporter/2019/digital-kompetens-i-forskola-skola-och-vuxenutbildning

  • Skolverket. (2020). Huvudmännens arbete med skolans digitalisering [School organizers’ work with school digitalization]. Rapport, 2020, 5. https://www.skolverket.se/publikationsserier/rapporter/2020/huvudmannens-arbete-med-skolans-digitalisering

    Google Scholar 

  • Tallvid, M. (2015). 1: 1 i klassrummet: Analyser av en pedagogisk praktik i förändring [1:1 in the classroom: analyses of a pedagogical practice in change]. Doctoral thesis, Center for Educational Science and Teacher Research and Research School in Educational Science, 42, Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tulowitzki, P., Gerick, J., & Eickelmann, B. (2022). The role of ICT for school leadership and management activities: An international comparison. International Journal of Educational Management, 36(2), 133–151.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ugur, N. G., & Koç, T. (2019). Leading and teaching with technology: School principals’ perspective. International Journal of Educational Leadership and Management, 7(1), 42–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vanderlinde, R., Dexter, S., & van Braak, J. (2012). School-based ICT policy plans in primary education: Elements, typologies and underlying processes. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(3), 505–519.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willermark, S., & Islind, A. S. (2022). Adopting to the virtual workplace: Identifying leadership affordances in virtual schools. Journal of Workplace Learning, 35(9), 22–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yukl, G. (1989). Leadership in organizations (2nd ed.). Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yukl. (2012). Effective leadership behavior: What we know and what questions need more attention. Academy of Management Perspectives, 26(4), 66–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, Y. (2020). COVID-19 as a catalyst for educational change. Prospects, 49, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-020-09477-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Atea Sverige AB for funding the interview study. Special thanks are also due to Great Consulting Nordic AB for conducting the interviews.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

    Fanny Pettersson

  2. Department of Education, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden

    Marcia Håkansson Lindqvist

  3. School of Business, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden

    Åke Grönlund

Authors
  1. Fanny Pettersson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marcia Håkansson Lindqvist
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Åke Grönlund
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fanny Pettersson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, Open University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Antonios Kafa

  2. Frederick University, Limassol, Cyprus

    Nikleia Eteokleous

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Pettersson, F., Lindqvist, M.H., Grönlund, Å. (2024). Digitalization, School Leadership, and the New Normal: School Leaders’ Perceptions of Post-pandemic Development in School Organizations. In: Kafa, A., Eteokleous, N. (eds) The Power of Technology in School Leadership during COVID-19. Studies in Educational Leadership, vol 26. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51575-0_10

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51575-0_10

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-51574-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-51575-0

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation