“This Is How We Do Things”. Acculturation of Immigrant Teachers: Elusive Critical Leadership

Aim. The research aims to critically examine immigrant teachers’ acculturation into independent South African schools. It also raises awareness of the absence of school leadership’s preparedness and competence to facilitate immigrant teachers’ integrative acculturation. Methods. The research used a critical qualitative case study design and purposively sampled participants within a population of inner-city independent schools to ensure they were professional immigrant teachers working in a South African independent school and experiencing acculturation. Data was generated through focus groups and individual semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically. Results. The results show that immigrant teachers experience acculturation and adaptation challenges, facing diversity as division. As leaders continuously articulate schools’ visions and missions, they reinforce beliefs, norms, and values, which become the lens through which teachers, learners and other stakeholders engage in their daily activities. Thus, results also illuminate a prevailing authoritarian leadership that enforces cultural assimilation and separation, undermining immigrant teachers’ identities, values, capabilities, and equal status within the school context. Conclusion. Immigrant teachers transform South African schools into cosmopolitan and multicultural settings with incredible cultural dimensions for learners to learn and broaden their global citizenship. Thus, these diverse schools need culturally conscious and effective leaders who deliberately exercise power to confront inequity and marginalisation, affirm minority cultures and foster cultural integration.