ABSTRACT
The specific focus of research was on trying to account for why some high school principals were successful managers of change within the context of the educational restructuring movement taking place in Australia in the 1990s. Exploring the concept of the 'life history' and associated life history research approaches presented fruitful avenues for pursuit in this regard. I. Goodson, in examining the literature on teacher socialisation, also made a convincing case by highlighting the fact that the period of pre-service training and early in-service teaching has been designated as the most formative socialising influence. The chapter proposes a study to contribute to the existing knowledge base by using the edited topical life history approach to generate theory regarding the relationship between principals' life histories and the initiatives they are taking to improve curriculum, teaching, and learning in their schools.
