Robinson et al (2011) say that creating positive, educationally focused relationships with caregivers is recognized in many leadership standards and development frameworks as a critical task for principals. Thus trust among principals, guardians, and teachers plays a pivotal role in fostering a positive educational environment and improving student outcomes (Bryk & Schneider, 2002). To create this trust, principals need to be able to handle complex situations using communication skills (Meyer, 2023). According to Hirsh et al. (2023) leaders tend to address issues and express themselves from their own social and cultural perspective and their own background of experiences, which can be limiting when they are communicating. Research on interactions involving complaints, grievances, and conflict suggests that a major challenge in problem-solving conversations is progressing the issue without damaging the relationship. Balancing task-related concerns with relationship-building involves demonstrating respect through inquiry, collaborative exploration of alternatives, and seeking integrative solutions (Robinson & Le Fevre, 2002). Research indicates that principals often excel in promoting their own viewpoints but may struggle to understand and validate others’ perspectives.

The purpose of the present study is to explore and describe how principals handle communication in sensitive conversations. The study addresses the following question: Which strategies and communication skills are evident in dialogues between school principals and semi-virtual guardians and teachers?

This study investigates semi-virtual simulations that employ virtual avatars for educational purposes, representing both guardians and employees within a fictional primary school setting (see Dieker et al., 2017). The simulation training provides a safe setting where it is possible to practice professional skills (Ledger et al., 2024). It is usually experienced as authentic and realistic by the participants (Levin et al., 2023; Samuelsson et al., 2021). The interaction is possible to adjust to learning goals and the learner since there is a human-in-the-loop that controls what is happening (Dieker et al., 2017). The use of simulations also provides researchers with the opportunity to do research on issues that can be challenging to study (Thorsten et al., 2023). Nordzell (2018) asserts that there is limited research on communication between principals and guardians because the conversations often are ethically sensitive. In this study we use recordings from when principals interact with semi-virtual guardians and teachers, which makes it possible to describe a variety of communication patterns among principals.

The analysis is based on a codebook which is a revised version of one originally developed by Patrik et al. (2021). The codebook draws from interpersonal learning theories, specifically investigating two types of behaviors: inquiries and assertions. This framework enabled us to investigate the communication strategies employed by principals during problem-solving conversations.

The findings indicate that the strategies of the principals are tailored to different recipients. However, some principals have more effective strategies than others, particularly in conversations with less communicative or less educated parents. When engaging with articulate parents who have a strong understanding of school policies and regulations, the parents often initiate the conversation. In these conversations, principals quickly delve into potential solutions, both with and without further explanation. Conversely, in interactions with less articulate or emotional driven guardians, or those facing language barriers, most principals inquire less, check understanding to a lesser extent, and are more prone to offering advice and decisions without delving deep into the issue. The most effective principals spend minimal time reaching the core of the matter, acknowledging guardians’ concerns, and prioritizing inquiry for emotions and facts before formulating next steps. In contrast, those who struggle in these conversations spend less time inquiring about thinking and facts, impacting their ability to establish a shared understanding of the situation.

The data in this paper is based on material collected during a further training course on principal's communication. During the professional training course, the principals practiced their communication skills in a semi-virtual environment. The simulation training consisted of four distinct scenarios involving a father, a mother, a pair of parents, and a teacher. Each scenario focused on challenges related to the students' learning environment in a classroom. An educator, trained to control avatars, played the roles of guardians and a teacher. Principals then conducted problem-solving conversations with these avatars. These conversations were recorded and subsequently transcribed for analysis. The principals who were recorded all gave their consent to participate in the study. The paper draws on 24 transcripts of extracts from conversations between 24 school principals and semi-virtual guardians (20) and teachers (4). For the analysis, we developed a codebook which is a revised version of one originally developed by Patrik et al. (2021). The codebook draws from interpersonal learning theories, specifically investigating two types of behaviors: inquiries and assertions. Addressing for example if the principal asks activating or limiting exploratory questions that examine thinking, reactions, or facts, and if the principals make activating or limiting statements that include suggestions, challenges, or confirmations - with or without justification. This framework enabled us to investigate the communication strategies employed by principals during problem-solving conversations. To reach agreement on the behavioral indicators, we collaboratively coded the first three conversations. During this process, we also developed new codes since the original code book did not have codes for how the leader responded to questions. Therefore, we added for example codes such as No response and Response with a motivation. The coding involved discussing and clarifying the application of the theoretical model and revising the coding rules until they were consistently interpreted and applied (DeCuir-Gunby, Marshall & McCulloch, 2011). Afterward, we divided the remaining transcripts among ourselves and coded the rest of the data. We reviewed the transcript sequences together, discussing excerpts where we were unsure of the correct code. In the next phase, we identified patterns within the conversations with each avatar and then looked for patterns across different avatars.

The study provides insights about the challenges principals face when they interact with guardians and parents. A limitation of the study concerns that the conversations took place in a simulation, and not in a real setting. Based on comments from the principals and the analysis of the conversations, it seems as if they experienced the conversations as realistic and they got very much engaged in the conversation, describing genuine feelings afterwards. This indicates that they acted similarly as they would have in a real conversation. The simulation training provided a setting where it was possible to collect data from several principals, without ethical considerations regarding real guardians and teachers. The results indicate a variety among the principals regarding how they interact with semi-virtual guardians and teachers. The principals differ regarding how much they inquire the issue before they give solutions to it, how they give emotional support and to which extent they are focused on the thinking and facts. Educated, articulate parents are more likely to provide the principal with their thoughts leading to a focus on the issue, whereas more emotionally driven parents or those with language difficulties do not get the same opportunity to describe the basis for their concern. Principals use questions in various ways. Some principles use genuine questions and are listening to the answer. Other principals create a pseudo-conversation, asking leading questions that can only be answered in one way. The principal appears to steer the conversation in a predetermined direction, based on the notion that the principal has interpretive precedence and needs to defend the school’s teaching. Successful principals pose questions that contribute to an understanding of the issue that concerns the other part and prioritize inquiry for emotions and facts before formulating the next steps.

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