LEADING BEYOND THE PANDEMIC: HOW FEMALE DEPARTMENTAL HEADS NAVIGATE LEADERSHIP ROLES IN THE POST-COVID-19 ERA

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted education systems worldwide,
compelling schools to adapt rapidly to unprecedented organisational, technological, and
emotional challenges. During this period, effective school leadership became essential
for maintaining educational continuity, supporting teachers, and sustaining learner
engagement. Female departmental heads, who occupy critical middle-management
positions within schools, played a vital role in stabilising teaching and learning processes
during and after the pandemic. Despite their important contributions, limited research has
examined how these leaders navigate their leadership roles in the post-COVID-19
educational context, particularly within South African schools. This study therefore aimed
to explore how female departmental heads navigate their leadership roles in the post-
COVID-19 era. The research was grounded in a constructivist paradigm and employed a
qualitative research approach using a generic qualitative design. Data were collected
through semi-structured interviews with ten purposively selected female departmental
heads from public primary schools in Limpopo Province, South Africa. All participants had
leadership experience before, during, and after the pandemic, enabling them to reflect on
evolving leadership practices. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis to
identify key themes related to post-pandemic leadership experiences. The findings
indicate that female departmental heads demonstrate adaptive and transformative
leadership practices, including enhanced digital literacy, participatory and empathetic
leadership approaches, strengthened staff development initiatives, innovative curriculum
practices, improved collaboration, effective liaison with school management, and
increased leadership flexibility. These practices enabled leaders to support teachers,
maintain curriculum implementation, and foster collaborative school cultures. The study
concludes that female departmental heads play a critical role in promoting resilient and
inclusive leadership practices that contribute to educational recovery and transformation
in the post-COVID-19 era. The study contributes to the field of educational leadership by
extending understanding of how female middle-level leaders navigate post-crisis
educational environments and by highlighting the value of adaptive, collaborative, and
digitally informed leadership practices in strengthening school resilience and recovery.

Keywords: adaptive leadership; critical feminist theory; departmental heads; digital
leadership; female educational leadership; post-COVID-19 education