A collective metamorphosis: Mapping the multiple differences between, among and within six women principals in Queensland secondary schools

The 'lack' of women in higher-level administrative positions within the Australian schooling system has long been a subject of debate and concern. Although women comprise over seventy percent of the teaching population in Queensland schools, they are generally represented in twenty five percent of principal positions. Attempts to address this 'problem' have met with little success. In many cases these theories and solutions proposed (based on phallocentric binaries which positions women as the same as complementary to or different from), do little to recognise differences within and among individual women educational leaders.

Drawing on a theoretical framework known as nomadic feminism provided by Rosi Braidotti, this thesis moves away from these traditions by working to identify three levels of difference within a particular group of six women principals in Queensland Australia: differences between women and men within similar positions; differences among the women and differences within individual women.

To begin, I conceptualise and present this thesis as a collective metamorphosis because it highlights a commitment to working at the political or collective level of moving beyond restrictive definitions of women and because it is fundamentally a mapping of change:

• change within the lives of these six women
• change within the concept of the principalship
• change within social attitudes to women principals
• change within me as a feminist nomadic researcher
• changes in the way the subject position Woman-principal is understood.

This charting is mapped out across seven chapters. The first chapter outlines the significance of focusing on difference and employing a feminist nomadic framework. Chapter two establishes the context of this research by laying out an analysis of feminist theory and educational leadership research and substantiates the need for research that focuses specifically on women principals and difference. Chapter three is divided into two sections. Section one provides a map for this research in the form of a feminist nomadic methodology and for this I draw heavily on the work of feminist theorists such as Braidotti, Grosz, Hekman, Irigaray and Haraway. Section two outlines the design of the research and discusses the research methods used-making vital links between theory and practice.

The data analysis is carried out over the next three chapters. Chapter four explores the differences between men and women in the principalship and establishes the need to connect this research to the bodily experiences of individual women and to the political project of feminism. Chapter five charts the differences among these six women and in the process it establishes the political significance of the recognition of signs of difference such as age, race, sexuality, class, religion and other more personal differences. The last data analysis chapter maps the differences within individual women of this research and argues for the fluidity rather than fixity of the identities of women principals.

This thesis ends by looking forward, suggesting questions to be addressed in the future, as well as providing an overview of the benefits such a nomadic reading can provide. Highlighting the differences between women and men, among women and within individual women principals' challenges entrenched myths/scripts of the principalship by drawing attention to the complexity of these six women and moves to encourage a diversity of teachers to consider the possibility of becoming principals.