Student leadership in secondary schools: The influence of school context on young women's leadership perceptions

The influence of school context on leadership practice is becoming a well documented area in the field of educational leadership. However, much of the research in this growing body of literature focuses on adults and their leadership practice. This article examines the influence of the secondary school context on young women's leadership beliefs and understandings. A qualitative collaborative action research study was conducted with twelve Year 12 students from a New Zealand Catholic Girls' secondary school. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were used to ascertain the young women's beliefs and perceptions about leadership prior to their involvement in co-designing and participating in a leadership development program with the researcher. This article reports on the findings related to the beliefs and perceptions that the young women held prior to participating in the program. The findings indicated that the school was a site of significant influence on the young women's beliefs and understandings of leadership. The Catholic culture of the school permeated the leadership practices of the young women and shaped not only the leadership actions and dialogue of the students, but also their perceived opportunities to learn about and practise leadership.