SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Bayburt Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 20 Sayı: 47

Work Intensification in School Management: A Qualitative Analysis Based on the Perspectives of School Principals

Okul Yönetiminde İş Yoğunluğu: Okul Müdürlerinin Görüşlerine Dayalı Nitel Bir Analiz

Gökhan Savaş(BARTIN ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0003-0690-8733
Erhan Dolapcı(Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı)0000-0003-2257-768X
Pages
860–884
Publication Date
2025-09-17
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings revealed that frequent changes in educational policies, increasing bureaucratic demands, task diversity, and staff shortages are the primary factors contributing to work intensification.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This study aims to provide an in-depth examination of the causes, consequences, management strategies, and potential future impacts of work intensification among school principals.
📊
Key Findings & Data:The research was conducted with 15 school principals in Kastamonu province in Türkiye, employing a qualitative research method and semi-structured interview technique.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The findings revealed that frequent changes in educational policies, increasing bureaucratic demands, task diversity, and staff shortages are the primary factors contributing to work intensification.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:İş yoğunluğu · okul müdürü · okul yönetimi

Abstract

This study aims to provide an in-depth examination of the causes, consequences, management strategies, and potential future impacts of work intensification among school principals. The research was conducted with 15 school principals in Kastamonu province in Türkiye, employing a qualitative research method and semi-structured interview technique. The data was analyzed through content analysis and descriptive analysis. The findings revealed that frequent changes in educational policies, increasing bureaucratic demands, task diversity, and staff shortages are the primary factors contributing to work intensification. Principals expressed that work intensification negatively affects their work-life balance, leads to professional burnout, and limits opportunities for professional development. The study also identified that principals manage work intensification by employing strategies such as task delegation, time management, and seeking support from colleagues. Additionally, the study revealed that the growing work intensification may reduce the attractiveness of the principalship and constrain their leadership roles to bureaucratic tasks. The study emphasizes the need to reconsider educational policies to alleviate principals’ work intensification and enable them to focus more on their leadership roles.

Özet

Bu araştırmanın amacı, okul müdürlerinin iş yoğunluğunun nedenlerinin, sonuçlarının, nasıl yönetildiğinin ve gelecekteki olası etkilerinin derinlemesine incelenmesidir. Araştırma, Kastamonu ilinde görev yapan 15 okul müdürü ile yürütülmüş olup, araştırmada nitel araştırma yöntemi ve yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme tekniği kullanılmıştır. Veriler, içerik analizi ve betimsel analiz yoluyla analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular, eğitim politikalarındaki sık değişiklikler, artan bürokratik talepler, görev çeşitliliği ve personel yetersizliğinin iş yoğunluğunu artıran temel faktörler olduğunu göstermiştir. Müdürler, iş yoğunluğunun iş-yaşam dengesi, mesleki tükenmişlik ve mesleki gelişim fırsatları üzerindeki olumsuz etkilerini dile getirmişlerdir. Müdürlerin iş yoğunluğunu yönetmek için görev dağılımı yapma, zaman yönetimi ve meslektaşlardan destek alma gibi stratejilere başvurduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Ayrıca, artan iş yoğunluğu nedeniyle müdürlük görevinin cazibesinin azalabileceği ve liderlik rollerinin bürokratik işlerle sınırlandırılabileceği öngörülmüştür. Çalışma, müdürlerin iş yoğunluğunu azaltmak ve liderlik rollerine daha fazla odaklanmalarını sağlamak amacıyla eğitim politikalarının yeniden gözden geçirilmesi gerektiğini vurgulamaktadır.

🔖

Cite This Article

Savaş, G., Dolapcı, E. (2025). Work Intensification in School Management: A Qualitative Analysis Based on the Perspectives of School Principals. Bayburt Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, Cilt: 20 Sayı: 47, 860–884. https://doi.org/10.35675/befdergi.1585732

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (58)

  1. Baltacı, A. (2017). İş yükü ve performans arasındaki ilişkiler: Ampirik bir araştırma. Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 3(1), 101-121.
  2. Balyer, A. (2012). Çağdaş okul müdürlerinin değişen rolleri. Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Kırşehir Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 13(2), 75-93.
  3. Beausaert, S., Froehlich, D. E., Devos, C., & Riley, P. (2016). Effects of support on stress and burnout in school principals. Educational Research, 58(4), 347-365. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2016.1220810
  4. Bowling, N. A., Alarcon, G. M., Bragg, C. B., & Hartman, M. J. (2015). A meta-analytic examination of the potential correlates and consequences of workload. Work & Stress, 29(2), 95-113. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2015.1033037
  5. Brown, M. (2012). Responses to work intensification: Does generation matter? The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(17), 3578-3595. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2011.654348
  6. Büyüköztürk, Ş., Çakmak, E. K., Akgün, Ö. E., Karadeniz, Ş., & Demirel, F. (2017). Bi¬limsel araştırma yöntemleri (23. baskı). Pegem Akademi.
  7. Chen, J., Bellibaş, M. Ş., & Gümüş, S. (2023). Impact of school climate and resources on principal workload stress and job satisfaction: Multinational evidence from TALIS 2018 data. Journal of Educational Administration, 61(5), 476-494. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-08-2022-0128
  8. Christensen, L. B., Johnson, R. B., & Turner, L. A. (2011). Research methods, design, and analysis. (11th ed.). Pearson.
  9. Cömert, M., & Dönmez, B. (2019). A qualitative study on the perceptions of administrators and teachers on procrastination behavior and workload of school administrators. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 7(2), 129-136. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v7i2.3881
  10. Creagh, S., Thompson, G., Mockler, N., Stacey, M., & Hogan, A. (2025). Workload, work intensification and time poverty for teachers and school leaders: A systematic research synthesis. Educational Review, 77(2) 661-680. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2023.2196607
  11. Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage publications.
  12. Darling-Hammond, L., Wei, R. C., Andree, A., Richardson, N., & Orphanos, S. (2009). Professional learning in the learning profession: A status report on teacher development in the United States and abroad. Palo Alto, CA: National Staff Development Council and the School Redesign Network, Stanford University.
  13. Demirkasımoğlu, N. (2015). Public school principals’ workload resources, problems and manageability. Route Educational and Social Science Journal, 2(4), 345-364.
  14. Demirkol, M., Orhan, M., & Özdemir, T. Y. (2022). Öğretmenlerin okul yöneticiliğini tercih etme/etmeme nedenleri. Journal of History School, 61, 4289-4312. https://doi.org/10.29228/JOH.66777
  15. Diotaiuti, P., Mancone, S., Bellizzi, F., & Valente, G. (2020). The principal at risk: Stress and organizing mindfulness in the school context. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(17), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176318
  16. Drago-Severson, E. (2012). New opportunities for principal leadership: shaping school climates for enhanced teacher development. Teachers College Record, 114(3), 1-44. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811211400305
  17. Easthope, C., & Easthope, G. (2000). Intensification, extension and complexity of teachers’ workload. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 21(1), 43-58. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425690095153
  18. Elomaa, M., Eskelä-Haapanen, S., Pakarinen, E., Halttunen, L., & Lerkkanen, M. K. (2023). Work-related stress of elementary school principals in Finland: Coping strategies and support. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 51(4), 868-888. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432211010317
  19. Fitzgerald, S., McGrath-Champ, S., Stacey, M., Wilson, R., & Gavin, M. (2019). Intensification of teachers’ work under devolution: A ‘tsunami’of paperwork. Journal of Industrial Relations, 61(5), 613-636. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022185618801396
  20. Green, F. (2004). Work intensification, discretion, and the decline in well-being at work. Eastern Economic Journal, 30(4), 615-625.
  21. Green, F., & McIntosh, S. (2001). The intensification of work in Europe. Labour Economics, 8(2), 291-308. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0927-5371(01)00027-6
  22. Guba, E. G., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1994). Competing paradigms in qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.). Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 105-117). Sage Publications.
  23. Guetterman, T. C. (2015). Descriptions of sampling practices within five approaches to qualitative research in education and the health sciences. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 16(2), Art.25. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-16.2.2290
  24. Gümüş, S., & Bellibaş, M. Ş. (2020). The relationship between professional development and school principals’ leadership practices: the mediating role of self-efficacy. International Journal of Educational Management, 34(7), 1155-1170. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-10-2019-0380
  25. Güzel, E., Güzel, D., Yıldırım, M., & Taşpınar, M. S. (2023). Okul yöneticilerinde iş yaşam dengesi ve sonuçları. Sosyal, Beşeri ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi, 6(3), 355-368. https://doi.org/10.26677/TR1010.2023.1188
  26. Hauseman, C. (2020). How workload influences the emotional aspects of principal’s work. Journal of Educational Leadership in Action, 6(2), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.62608/2164-1102.1021
  27. Hauseman, D. C., Pollock, K., & Wang, F. (2017). Inconvenient, but essential: Impact and influence of school-community involvement on principals’ work and workload. School Community Journal, 27(1), 83-105.
  28. İlbasan, H. (2022). Okul müdürlerinin örgütsel stres kaynakları. Kırıkkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 13(1), 239-256.
  29. Klocko, B. A., & Wells, C. M. (2015). Workload pressures of principals: A focus on renewal, support, and mindfulness. Nassp Bulletin, 99(4), 332-355. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192636515619727
  30. Lawrence, D. F., Loi, N. M., & Gudex, B. W. (2019). Understanding the relationship between work intensification and burnout in secondary teachers. Teachers and Teaching, 25(2), 189-199. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2018.1544551
  31. Lim, L. (2019). Work intensification and the secondary vice-principal role. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 190, 64–72.
  32. Lim, L., & Pollock, K. (2019). Secondary principals’ perspectives on the impact of work intensification on the secondary vice-principal role. Leading and Managing, 25(2), 80-98.
  33. Markow, D., Macia, L., & Lee, H. (2013). The Metlife survey of the American teacher: Challenges for school leadership. Metlife, Inc.
  34. Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
  35. Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı [MEB] (2024). Türkiye Yüzyılı Maarif Modeli öğretim programları ortak metni. https://tymm.meb.gov.tr/upload/brosur/2024programortakmetinOnayli.pdf
  36. Nasreen, A., & Odhiambo, G. (2018). The continuous professional development of school principals: Current practices in Pakistan. Bulletin of Education and Research, 40(1), 245-266.
  37. Oplatka, I. (2017). Principal workload: Components, determinants and coping strategies in an era of standardization and accountability. Journal of Educational Administration, 55(5), 552-568. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-06-2016-0071
  38. Paškvan, M., Kubicek, B., Prem, R., & Korunka, C. (2016). Cognitive appraisal of work intensification. International Journal of Stress Management, 23(2), 124-146. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039689
  39. Poirel, E., Lapointe, P., & Yvon, F. (2012). Coping with administrative constraints by Quebec school principals. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 27(4), 302-318. https://doi.org/10.1177/0829573512461131
  40. Pollock, K., Nielsen, R., & Wang, F. (2025). School principals’ emotionally draining situations and student discipline issues in the context of work intensification. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 53(2), 419-437. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432231165691
  41. Pont, B. (2020). A literature review of school leadership policy reforms. European Journal of Education, 55(2), 154-168. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12398
  42. Saldaña, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
  43. Schreier, M. (2012). Qualitative content analysis in practice. Sage Publications.
  44. Swapp, D. H. (2020). Principal leadership and prioritizing equity in an era of work intensification: Must wellbeing be sacrificed?. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 192, 52-59.
  45. Thompson, G., Mockler, N., & Hogan, A. (2022). Making work private: Autonomy, intensification and accountability. European Educational Research Journal, 21(1), 83-104. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904121996134
  46. Tuters, S., & Ryan, J. (2020). Promoting equity in contexts of work intensification: A principal’s challenge. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 192, 60-66.
  47. Türkoğlu, M. E., & Cansoy, R. (2020). School principals’ opinions on the meaning and sources of workload. International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research, 7(1), 177-191. https://doi.org/10.33200/ijcer.657994
  48. Walker, A. R. (2019). The impact of principals’ work on their well-being. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 190, 57-63.
  49. Wang, F. (2021). Principals’ self-and interpersonal leadership amid work intensification. Journal of School Leadership, 31(5), 396-427. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052684620935383
  50. Wang, F., Hauseman, C., & Pollock, K. (2022). “I am here for the students”: principals’ perception of accountability amid work intensification. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 34(1), 33-56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-021-09368-6
  51. Wang, F., Pollock, K., & Hauseman, C. (2018a). School principals’ job satisfaction: The effect of work intensification in Ontario. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 185, 73–90.
  52. Wang, F., Pollock, K., & Hauseman, C. (2018b). Ontario principals’ and vice-principals’ well-being and coping strategies in the context of work intensification. In S. Cherkowski & K. Walker (Eds.), Perspectives on flourishing schools (pp. 287–304). Lexington Books.
  53. Wang, F., Pollock, K., & Hauseman, C. (2023). Time demands and emotionally draining situations amid work intensification of school principals. Educational Administration Quarterly, 59(1), 112-142. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X221132837
  54. Wang, F., Pollock, K., & Hauseman, C. (2024). Complexity and volume: work intensification of vice-principals in Ontario. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 27(6), 1451-1474. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2021.1974097
  55. Wellington, J., & Szczerbinski, M. (2007). Research methods for the social sciences. Continuum International Publishing Group.
  56. Wells, C. M., & Klocko, B. A. (2015). Can teacher leadership reduce principal stress? Journal of School Leadership, 25(2), 313-344. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268461502500205
  57. Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2011). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri. Seçkin.
  58. Yildirim, F., & Dinc, M. S. (2019). Factors influencing burnout of the principals: A pilot study in Flemish schools of Belgium. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 32(1), 3538- 3553. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2019.1660200