Framing Professional Identity in School Leadership: A Critical Exploration within the UAE Inspection Context | ||||
| المجلة العربية للتربية النوعية | ||||
| Volume 9, Issue 39, September 2025, Page 645-670 PDF (836.97 K) | ||||
| Document Type: المقالة الأصلية | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejev.2025.450832 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Author | ||||
| Samah Mohamed Al Thehli | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| This study focuses on the role of school leadership within the public schools of Abu Dhabi, examining how leaders shape and reshape their professional identity over continuous cycles of school inspections. In the context of ongoing accountability policies in education in the United Arab Emirates, it poses a peculiar problem for school leaders whose values differ from system-driven expectations to balance between personal educational ideals, emotional labour, and philosophies of leadership. The qualitative research methodology centres on obtaining individual interviews from school leaders of grades K to 12. The results indicate that professional identity is not simply something one assumes; instead, it is strategically shaped in relation to frameworks, cultures of the institution, and personal models of leadership. Participants exhibited greater alignment with governance frameworks and criteria focused on empirical evidence alongside a claimed commitment to deeper levels of relational leadership, moral obligation, and holistic care for students. It is noteworthy that accountability serves concurrently as both a means for improvement and an emotionally draining paradox. Moreover, it demonstrates how success criteria within inspection frameworks can be far too simplistic and neglect the crucial yet often invisible components of leadership practice. The described rapid pace of reform alongside multiculturalism combined with centralized governance creates a one-of-a-kind educational context in the UAE which adds complexity in terms of how leaders perceive their role. Contributing to understanding the professional identity gap within frameworks of institutional demand and human agency shifts invites discourse around educational leadership in the global context. As has been pointed out, there are no well-developed systems for cultivating leadership archetypes, suggesting a balanced policy framework alongside the practice within schools is urgently required. As multicultural changes to the UAE’s centralized educational system evolve with new policies, frameworks, and methods of administration, the situation remains dynamic based on how those in leadership positions interpret and define their roles. This study seeks to shift the global conversation about an educational leader’s professional identity by framing it as something that can be continuously reshaped through governance frameworks policies of inspection, institutional demands, and personal agency. It highlights an ever-pressing need for more precise approaches tailored specifically for school leaders, from discipline-based guidance structures to developing respect for self-defined goals constrained by rules placed upon them. | ||||
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