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1 – 10 of 118It is widely accepted that educational leaders and teachers need to manage and regulate their emotions continually, mainly because schooling and teaching processes expose many…
Abstract
Purpose
It is widely accepted that educational leaders and teachers need to manage and regulate their emotions continually, mainly because schooling and teaching processes expose many emotions. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to trace the ways Israeli assistant principals, both Arab and Jewish, manage their emotions at work.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on semi-structured interviews with 15 assistant principals, it was found that they are required to manage their emotions in accordance with entrenched emotion rules in the culture and society.
Findings
Most of the Jewish female APs tend to display warmth and empathy toward teachers in order to better understand their personal needs and professional performances. In contrast, Arab APs suppressed or fabricated emotional expression in their discourse with teachers and parents, in order to maintain a professional façade and retain the internal cohesion of the school. Both groups of APs believed their emotion regulation results in higher level of harmony in the school. Empirical and practical suggestions are put forward.
Originality/value
The paper is original and contributes to the theoretical and practical knowledge.
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Izhar Oplatka and Riki Vertaimer
The current study explored the process of emotion regulation among Ultra-Orthodox female teachers in Jewish educational system in Israel.
Abstract
Purpose
The current study explored the process of emotion regulation among Ultra-Orthodox female teachers in Jewish educational system in Israel.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employed a semi-structured interview comprising 13 Ultra-Orthodox female teachers in single-sex education for girls.
Findings
The teachers preferred to suppress their positive and negative emotions rather than displaying them in their interactions with students, emphasizing the importance of self-restraint and self-control in their professional work and in their religious society.
Originality/value
The paper sheds light on the connection between traditional societies whose culture is grounded deeply in their religious faith and teachers' modes of emotion regulation. The findings may enhance the understanding of cultural and contextual influences on teachers' emotion regulation and shed light on the ways in which female teachers balance their personal feelings with emotional rules in the religious society in which they live and work.
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The purpose of this study was to explore school principals' sources of felt anger and to trace their forms of anger regulation in the workplace.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to explore school principals' sources of felt anger and to trace their forms of anger regulation in the workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on semi-structured interviews with 30 elementary and secondary school principals in Israel, a typology of anger regulation is presented and analyzed.
Findings
The typology includes three types of perceived anger regulation: anger and surface acting, a moderate expression of anger and an authentic expression of anger. While teachers and students may provoke the principal's anger, most commonly external constituencies (e.g. Ministry of Education, Local Education Authorities) trigger their intense anger. Concluding the paper are suggestions for further research on anger in educational leadership and practical recommendations.
Originality/value
study fills the gap in knowledge about emotion regulation in educational leadership, in general, and increases our insights into the values and norms that delineate the degree to which anger expression is appropriate in the school, in particular.
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Shira Grossman and Izhar Oplatka
The purpose of the current study was to explore the feeling of disappointment among teachers, their subjective definition of this feeling, the sources of their disappointment and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the current study was to explore the feeling of disappointment among teachers, their subjective definition of this feeling, the sources of their disappointment and its consequences.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 Israeli teachers.
Findings
From an analysis of the teachers' accounts it was clear that teachers attribute great importance to the feeling of disappointment and consider it to be an inherent part of their work in school. Furthermore, their accounts provide insight into the importance of two main factors – the teachers' role partners and the educational system. These factors are perceived by the interviewees to have much influence on teachers' sense of disappointment, which ultimately leads to implications for daily life in school and for the teachers themselves.
Originality/value
The uniqueness of this study is reflected in both its theoretical and practical aspects. First, the aim of this study is to deepen the concept of disappointment within the educational context. Second, the importance of this study is in presenting the feeling of disappointment from an unexplored venue – the teachers' subjective perspective. Addressing these aspects may increase our understanding of emotions in education, in general, and help focus the discussion on teacher disappointment, in particular.
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Izhar Oplatka and Hamutal Ben Or
The purpose of this paper is to explore teachers’ responses to the arrival of new principals (NPs) into their school. More specifically, the paper poses three questions: How do…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore teachers’ responses to the arrival of new principals (NPs) into their school. More specifically, the paper poses three questions: How do teachers perceive the arrival of an NP into their school? How do teachers cope with the arrival of an NP? What are the factors affecting teachers’ responses towards the arrival of an NP?
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 Israeli teachers who experienced the arrival of an NP into their school during the last three years.
Findings
The perceived image of the former principal in the teachers’ lounge and the manner in which s/he left principalship seem to greatly influence teachers’ responses towards the NP. Likewise, the first personal conversations of the NP with the teachers are highly influential on their responses to his/her arrival into their school.
Originality/value
The paper sheds light on the critical role of emotions towards the former principal in the induction stages of NPs.
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The paper argues for the introduction of pedagogies of optimism (and implicitly of hope) in schools as a response to the danger of pessimism, skepticism and helplessness…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper argues for the introduction of pedagogies of optimism (and implicitly of hope) in schools as a response to the danger of pessimism, skepticism and helplessness characterizing periods of armed conflicts.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual analysis.
Findings
Following an analysis of armed conflicts and their impact on educational systems, the critical contribution of pedagogies of optimism is illuminated. Teachers are encouraged to follow major phases in this kind of pedagogy, such as discovery, acceptance of the situation, imagination and critical thinking.
Originality/value
Practical suggestions are provided at the end of the paper.
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In order to fill the gap in theoretical and empirical knowledge about the characteristics of principal workload, the purpose of this paper is to explore the components of…
Abstract
Purpose
In order to fill the gap in theoretical and empirical knowledge about the characteristics of principal workload, the purpose of this paper is to explore the components of principal workload as well as its determinants and the coping strategies commonly used by principals to face this personal state.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 principals, all from the elementary and secondary educational systems of Israel. The analysis followed the principles of qualitative research.
Findings
Four subjectively held constructs of principal workload, main sources of this workload, and the key strategies used by principals to face this workload were found in this study.
Practical implications
It is recommended to strengthen school autonomy, increase the number of positions of middle management, prepare future principals for the heavy workload, and encourage supportive superiors who are sensitive to this issue.
Originality/value
This study fills the gap in theoretical knowledge concerning principal workload, assuming that the particular characteristics of the school organization have some unique impact on this personal state. It also enables us to identify the types of this personal state occurring in educational organizations from the subjective perspectives of school members and stakeholders, thereby broadening the understanding of employee workload in various settings, including educational arenas.
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Peleg Dor-Haim and Izhar Oplatka
This paper explores the subjective interpretations of school principals' experiences of loneliness in the workplace and the implications of those experiences. The study poses two…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores the subjective interpretations of school principals' experiences of loneliness in the workplace and the implications of those experiences. The study poses two questions: (1) How do school principals perceive that their experience of loneliness affects their emotional well-being? (2) How do school principals perceive that the experience of loneliness influences their performance at work?
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 elementary and secondary school principals in Israel. A qualitative research methodology was employed to collect and analyze the data.
Findings
Data analysis resulted in four overarching themes, which captured the subjective consequences of principals' experiences of loneliness at work: a negative effect on work performance, emotional distress, physical health consequences and a positive perspective on loneliness.
Originality/value
Expanding upon the current knowledge regarding principals' perceived outcomes of loneliness may help to deepen our understanding of principals' emotional experiences and functioning at work. This examination is of great value as previous research has demonstrated the central role of principals on school success.
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Izhar Oplatka and Alaa Afif Elmalak-Watted
The aim of the current study was to explore emotional closeness and emotional distance between Arab teachers who teach in the Jewish State Educational System and their Jewish…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the current study was to explore emotional closeness and emotional distance between Arab teachers who teach in the Jewish State Educational System and their Jewish counterparts in the school.
Design/methodology/approach
The research used semi-structured interviews with 16 Arab and Jewish teachers in Israel.
Findings
The authors identified patterns of emotional closeness and emotional distance among Arab and Jewish teachers, perception gaps among Jewish and Arab teachers and the factors affecting emotional closeness/distance among them. Empirical and practical implications are suggested.
Originality/value
The study sheds light on the emotional aspects of multicultural educational teams and workplaces and increases our understanding of the complexity of teacher emotion in multi-ethnic and multi-religious staffrooms.
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