Research Methods
The research design was comprised of a constructivist, interpretive, qualitative case study
(Lincoln & Guba, 2013; Marshall & Rossman, 2010; Yin, 2008). From this perspective, the
research sought to understand ordinary school leaders’ practices and understandings of
leadership dilemmas and professional ethics and decision-making. Data were collected in
the form of interviews, document analyses, and professional demeanor observations with
ten (10) practicing educational administrators with a minimum of three years administrative
experience currently overseeing one large suburban school district serving approximately
ten thousand students with a diverse student and family population. Selection was equitable
for gender, age, ethnicity, across available administrators who met the criteria delineated
above. Analysis was conducted utilizing traditional qualitative research methods of coding,
categorizing, and thematic analysis.