Incidence de la COVID-19 sur la gestion et le leadership des équipes de direction d’établissements scolaires en milieux francophones minoritaires dans l’Ouest canadien

Résumé

Cet article porte sur les résultats d’une recherche auprès d’équipes de direction d’établissements scolaires en milieux francophones minoritaires (MFM) de l’Ouest canadien. C’est à partir du point de vue de ces praticiens (n=63) qu’il est possible de dresser un tableau comparatif de l’impact de la COVID-19 sur leurs pratiques de gestion et de leadership. Le questionnaire portait, entre autres, sur les éléments de gestion. Un consensus fort émerge autour des fonctions de gestion et de leadership liées à la nécessité de préserver le bien-être du personnel, d’assurer une communication régulière, d’encourager et de motiver le personnel enseignant et de réviser les horaires. Certaines caractéristiques, telles que les postes occupés, le genre, l’emplacement et la taille des écoles influent sur certains résultats. Les relations entre certains acteurs sont touchées. Le soutien reçu des membres du personnel, des collègues de travail, de la famille et des amis proches compense largement les lacunes d’ailleurs.

Mots-clés :

• direction d’école,
• gestion et leadership,
• pandémie COVID-19,
• recherche-action collaborative,
• milieu francophone minoritaire

Abstract

This article presents results from a collaborative action research study involving school leadership teams from Francophone minority settings in Western Canada. It is from these practitioners’ (n=63) points of view that a comparative picture of the impact of COVID-19 on the management and leadership practises during this extraordinary health crisis is drawn. These management teams’ tasks are presented according to the theoretical concepts of management and leadership and then particular considerations during this crisis context are discussed. The questionnaire focused on the elements of management, on the relationships between the stakeholders and on the health and well-being of the management teams. Herein, only the results of the first two aspects of the questionnaire are presented and discussed. Results reveal a strong consensus around management and leadership functions associated with the need to preserve and support staff well-being, ensure regular and constant communication, encourage and motivate teachers, and revise schedules to ensure the proper functioning of the school.

Certain characteristics were found to influence certain results, such as positions held, gender, and location and size of schools. The nature of the relationships between some stakeholders, particularly the departments of Education and members of the management teams during the pandemic, were noticeably adversely impacted compared to others. The support received from staff, co-workers, family, and close friends more than made up for the shortcomings elsewhere.