Cognitive Anthropology and Research on Effective Principals

Abstract

Recent research suggests not only that the principal's leadership is important in creating a successful school, but also that the perceptions of those who work in a school might be significant mediating variables. One set of methods for uncovering subjects' perceptions and understandings is discussed in this article. The methods have been developed by cognitive anthropologists and are generally referred to as ethnographic semantics. Findings from a study of a successful principal in which the ethnographic semantics methodology was employed are presented, and the study is used as the basis for critiquing the utility of this methodology for investigating principals and other educational leaders.