On the complexity of being a principal and a pre-school leader -‐ Emerging identities and performance in a new work reality

This paper is the first piece of a jigsaw puzzle in an effort to study the conditions that enable Swedish principals and preschool leaders to do a good job, create an identity and safeguard health. The present study is the first step to approach the overarching aim of understanding how principals’ and preschool leaders’ assignments are interpreted and construed and of who or what enables or prevents them from doing a good job. The primary aim of this paper is to narrow down how the assignment (the task)) is interpreted and to identify the markers for how principals and preschool leaders look upon the chances of doing a good job. These markers will subsequently form the basis of an in-depth qualitative study we have begin.