Principalship amidst dilemmatic spaces: a narrative inquiry at a Catholic girls' school in Macau

Principals' leadership is important for school effectiveness and education improvement. However, there is a lack of studies grounded in principals' everyday practices that aim to go beyond generic heuristics when suggesting leadership practices. Through three scenes that span a four-year period, this study describes the principalship of a female principal at a Catholic girls' school in Macau, through the theoretical lens of dilemmatic spaces. Via broadening, burrowing, storying and restoring, the methodology of narrative inquiry is used to probe Wang's principalship as a family-school communicator, a teacher-community illuminator, and a school-government negotiator. The subtle nuances of the detailed narrative accounts reveal how Wang's principalship transforms dilemmatic spaces into actionable spaces. Overall, this study theoretically reconceptualizes leadership beyond the functionalist paradigm, provides practical implications based on the tangible actions of a school leader in a heterogeneous society, and reimagines a better form of governance for education policymakers.