Chapter 6: Reflection on Leadership Experience: Zimbabwean School Leaders Cultivating Their Own Learning

A phenomenological study in Zimbabwe investigated how 9 effective secondary school heads made meaning of their field-based leadership experiences in the absence of formal preservice leadership preparation programs. The school leaders’ meaning-making revealed contextualized knowledge useful in leadership development programs in Zimbabwe. Although important lessons surfaced, there is need for critical reflection on the knowledge constructed. The 8 themes emerging from leaders’ meaning-making can open further investigation through appreciative inquiry, action research, and the concept of flow to establish a school leader craft knowledge base in Zimbabwe.