Educational Leadership and Management during COVID-19: A Call for Criticality and the Legitimation of Social Theory

Research internationally and nationally highlights that the field of Educational Leadership and Management (ELM) has pressing problems. One of the problems emanates from existing theory in the field which has been chiefly concerned with efficiency and organisational functioning. With the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the already existing reduction in leadership as an organisational phenomenon, this paper argues that these problems are exacerbated if leadership is not viewed as a social phenomenon. Drawing on the theoretical tenets from a doctoral study which focused on master’s coursework programmes in ELM at six South African universities, this paper commences by providing a genealogy of the field using ‘frames’ (functionalist, subjectivist, and critical). Trends from this genealogy are then surfaced and critiqued. The paper calls for a critical stance and argues that adopting social theory is essential to surface and address inequality and social justice issues in leading during the COVID-19 pandemic. A curriculum leadership case during the COVID-19 pandemic of adopting the Legitimation Code Theory as a social theory is offered for illustrative purposes.