ABSTRACT
The centrality of principals in the leadership and management of change puts a premium on the existing knowledge base as to how and why some principals cope more successfully than others. The social, economic and political environment within which principals are expected to lead and manage schools is undergoing dramatic change and has been doing so for some time. To adopt the life history approach to the study of principals is to take one step further Ribbins and Sherratt's proposal that studies of the principalship could benefit from adopting a biographical and autobiographical approach. This chapter outlines the theoretical framework underpinning such a research approach. It presents an exposition on the forms of data collection and analyses which were utilized in the study in the light of this framework.
