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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 13 March 2024

Ingela Bäckström, Pernilla Ingelsson, Anna Mårtensson and Kristen M. Snyder

The purpose of this paper is to explore existing and desired methodologies for systematic quality work to promote quality in preschools from the principal’s perspective.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore existing and desired methodologies for systematic quality work to promote quality in preschools from the principal’s perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

A collaborative approach was used in this research project, and principals were asked to complete portfolio assignments. Their answers to those portfolio assignments were analysed by the research team and subsequently compared to total quality management values.

Findings

Existing and desired methodologies for systematic quality work are presented and sorted into 13 and 17 groups, respectively. The principals desire four times more methodologies than they are presently using to promote systematic quality work, and the results show that they must extend their methodologies to support TQM values.

Research limitations/implications

This research is based on answers collected from 18 principals in one municipality in Sweden.

Practical implications

The use of the cornerstone model provides a framework to illustrate the application of TQM in preschools.

Originality/value

Principals struggle to find time for systemic quality work. The presented results can be used to work systematically with quality in preschools and other organizations.

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 32 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 June 2017

Jeffrey S. Brooks, Anthony H. Normore and Jane Wilkinson

The purpose of this paper is to explore theoretical connections between educational leadership for social justice and support for immigration. The authors seek to identify…

1179

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore theoretical connections between educational leadership for social justice and support for immigration. The authors seek to identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for further study and improved practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a theoretical research paper that introduces, evaluates and expands two frameworks for understanding leadership and immigration.

Findings

Findings suggested that there is a need for educational leadership scholars to more purposefully investigate issues related to social justice and immigration.

Originality/value

This study offers a novel theoretical perspective on leadership, social justice and immigration.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 31 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 May 2008

Scott Eacott

The purpose of this paper is to examine knowledge of strategy within the field of educational administration. It is intended to be the basis for future empirical research and…

5199

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine knowledge of strategy within the field of educational administration. It is intended to be the basis for future empirical research and inquiry into strategy in education by suggesting alternate ways of defining and researching strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

The study examines the contemporary context of educational administration, the evolution of strategy as an educational construct, its definition and need within educational administration. Using this information the author identifies key conceptual and methodological issues in current research.

Findings

The paper finds that knowledge of strategy in education is incomplete and muddled because research and writing in the field have approached strategy from a narrow and conceptually flawed position.

Research limitations/implications

The advancement of knowledge in the area will only advance with alternate conceptualisations and methodological approaches.

Originality/value

Rather than merely review literature, this paper proposes a redefinition of strategy as an educational administration construct, focusing on key features not words and actions. The hope is that fellow scholars and practitioners will continue to question and focus on the key features of strategy and the issues that confront them.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 46 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 13 November 2017

Chris Brown

Abstract

Details

Achieving Evidenceinformed Policy and Practice in Education
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78743-641-1

Article
Publication date: 17 September 2021

Cristina Moral Santaella

The purpose of this article is to present the results obtained from the investigations that have been carried out within the International Successful School Principalship Project…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to present the results obtained from the investigations that have been carried out within the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP) project in the Spanish for social justice.

Design/methodology/approach

Twelve case studies have been carried out within the three lines of research proposed by ISSPP: successful principals, underperforming principals and principal leadership identity. All but one school were in challenging contexts. The methodological approach followed is based on multiple perspective case studies using a mixture of qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups and observations).

Findings

Results show that successful principals not only believe in social justice through simple empathy with the concept of social justice, but also use strategies that combine transformational and instructional leadership processes and manage to reverse the bad situation of their disadvantaged schools, seeking excellence from equity. The leadership identity of successful principals is characterized to look to the future with hope, adopting a realistic utopian attitude to interpret their surrounding reality.

Originality/value

From the case studies carried out, valuable information is obtained, which helps to understand the possibilities of implementing the ISSPP successful school leadership model in heterogeneous and disadvantaged context for equity and social justice.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 60 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 August 2012

Liz Fulop

In many countries leadership theories and leadership development programs in healthcare have been dominated by individualistic and heroic approaches that focus on developing the…

3332

Abstract

Purpose

In many countries leadership theories and leadership development programs in healthcare have been dominated by individualistic and heroic approaches that focus on developing the skills and competencies of health professionals. Alternative approaches have been proffered but mainly in the form of post‐heroic and distributed forms of leadership. The notion of “hybridity” has emerged to challenge the assumptions of distributed leadership. The paper seeks to explore how the concept of hybridity can be used to re‐theorize leadership in healthcare as it relates to clinician managers (or hybrid‐professional managers).

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical developments are explored and empirical material is presented from research in Australian public hospitals to support the case for the existence of hybridized forms of leadership in healthcare. The paper discusses whether hybridity needs re‐theorizing to adequately account for clinician leadership. It contributes to debates surrounding the role of clinician leadership in healthcare reform particularly in relation to those doctors who occupy management positions at the division or unit levels as distinct to CEOs. The study uses qualitative research, i.e. interactive interviews to present accounts of how healthcare professionals describe leadership. It undertakes both deductive and inductive theme analysis of the interview material.

Findings

There is support for hybridized configurations of leadership in interview materials of healthcare professionals but other aspects were also noted that cannot be explained by this approach alone.

Originality/value

The paper is the first to examine the concept of hybridity in the context of clinician leadership. Many approaches to leadership in healthcare fail to address the complexity of leadership within the ranks of clinician managers and thus are unable to deal adequately with the role of leadership in healthcare reform and change.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 26 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Achieving Evidenceinformed Policy and Practice in Education
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78743-641-1

Abstract

Details

Formalise, Prioritise and Mobilise: How School Leaders Secure the Benefits of Professional Learning Networks
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78769-775-1

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2016

Chris Brown, Alan Daly and Yi-Hwa Liou

Many governments worldwide are now promoting the importance of research-informed efforts at improvement. At the same time research is yet to make sustained impact on the practices…

2697

Abstract

Purpose

Many governments worldwide are now promoting the importance of research-informed efforts at improvement. At the same time research is yet to make sustained impact on the practices of teachers. Given the importance of the issue and the lack of progress in this area, the purpose of this paper is to examine what drives teachers’ perceptions that their school: first, encourages the use of research evidence to support improvements to teaching; and second, whether school improvement strategies are grounded in research on effective practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Reviewing extant literature, the authors hypothesize that teachers’ perceptions of research use are related to their perceptions of: the presence of in-school organizational learning (OL) factors; whether they work in high-trust environments; and also to the frequency and quality of their “expertise-seeking” interactions. Using a survey instrument to measure OL, trust, and school research use climate, the authors gather data from 828 teachers in 43 schools. The authors then use social network analysis to quantify teachers’ professional relationships; with hierarchical linear regression employed to explore multilevel relationships between variables. Social network diagrams are also used to visualize the patterns of relationships between teachers/study variables.

Findings

The analysis indicates that teachers who report the climate of their schools to be focussed on learning, experimentation, and valuing new ideas, tend to also report more use of research/evidence. Likewise, teachers who had more frequent and useful interactions around teaching and learning also report more research/evidence use (RE Use) in their schools. Finally, and perhaps most powerfully, is that higher levels of perceived trust in the school are also associated with reporting higher levels of RE Use.

Originality/value

The results illustrate the importance of learning and trust in facilitating the types of relations needed to provide teachers with access to the research/evidence centered social capital that resides within a school. The work expands the notions of what is necessary to support the use of research/evidence in schools by placing more relational elements of the improvement equation front and center.

Details

Journal of Professional Capital and Community, vol. 1 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-9548

Keywords

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