Unprogrammed decisions of school principals

School principals make non-programmed decisions due to the rapid advancement of technology, societal transformations, the cultural diversity brought about by migration policies, local differences, and changing educational needs. It is believed that these dynamic and unpredictable conditions require school principals to produce unique, flexible, and creative solutions to unprogrammed situations. The aim of this study is to examine in depth the non-programmed decision-making experiences of school principals working in basic education institutions. The research was conducted using a qualitative method, and the phenomenological research design was adopted. The study group consisted of a total of 18 school principals working at different levels of basic education schools in a province located in Central Anatolia. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher. The collected data were analyzed using the content analysis method. The findings indicate that the non-programmed decisions made by school principals fall into three main categories: decisions related to stakeholders, decisions related to resources, and decisions related to activities. These decisions tend to focus on issues concerning parents at the preschool and primary school levels, while at the lower secondary level they focus more on student-related issues. When making non-programmed decisions, school principals take into account several value- and principle-based criteria, including legality, ethics, fairness, conformity with national and moral values, and alignment with institutional culture. Regarding the educational process, they also consider criteria such as motivating teachers, adopting a student-centered approach, and ensuring the continuity of teaching and learning. Principals generally view their non-programmed decisions positively in terms of solving problems quickly, preventing chaos, facilitating rapid decision-making, gaining experience, and developing new perspectives. However, they also express concerns about negative aspects such as making hasty decisions, ineffective outcomes, and the inability to foresee consequences. Overall, it is noted that the level of criticism directed toward non-programmed decisions outweighs the level of praise. The study concludes with several recommendations based on the findings.