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Article
Publication date: 1 May 1997

Lai Ching Shum and Yin Cheong Cheng

Investigates the relationship between perceptions of women principals’ leadership (in terms of sex‐role orientation and leadership functions) and teachers’ work attitudes (in…

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Abstract

Investigates the relationship between perceptions of women principals’ leadership (in terms of sex‐role orientation and leadership functions) and teachers’ work attitudes (in terms of sense of efficacy, sense of community and sense of professional interest) by controlling teachers’ personal demographics in a sample of teachers under the administration of women principals in secondary schools. Gives the results of Pearson and canonical correlation analyses, which indicated that, according to teachers’ perceptions, among the measures of perceived women principals’ leadership, human leadership, political leadership, symbolic leadership, structural leadership, educational leadership, androgynous orientation and undifferentiated orientation (negatively) were strong predictors of a teacher’s work attitudes. The findings of this study support the advocacy of the five leadership dimensions and androgynous orientation in women principals’ leadership. Advances implications for further study and practice.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 35 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 October 2023

Hannele Roponen, Elina Fonsén, Tuulikki Ukkonen-Mikkola and Raisa Ahtiainen

This study examines the social organizational structure of one early childhood education (ECE) center in Finland and the relationship between this structure and the roles and the…

1108

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines the social organizational structure of one early childhood education (ECE) center in Finland and the relationship between this structure and the roles and the responsibilities of the members of the organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is a qualitative case study with ethnographic features. Its variables for content analysis are based on Henry Mintzberg's theory of organizational design.

Findings

The study's results show that the organizational structure of the ECE center follows the organizational configuration of a Professional bureaucracy and that the multiprofessional teams follow the configuration of a Simple structure. The structures for centralization and decentralization are suitable for a professional bureaucracy, but the roles of the members of the organization and the processes for shared decision-making lack clarification. The shortage of qualified ECE teachers disrupts the function of the organization and the work of ECE leaders.

Research limitations/implications

The educational background of subjects may have affected the findings.

Originality/value

The study uses Henry Mintzberg's organizational structure theory to evaluate how and why power is distributed and activities are coordinated at the ECE center. The results also show what parts of the organization pose challenges that most commonly disrupt the organization's operations. With these findings, it is possible to expand the understanding of roles and responsibilities in the currently reforming ECE environment and what ECE centers need to function effectively. The study is part of a larger research project and will be continued to examine the leadership culture of the ECE center.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 38 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 6 April 2018

Rebecca West Burns

This chapter synthesizes Chapters 13–17. After distinguishing teacher leaders as individuals who enact various functions of teacher leadership in today’s schools, the chapter…

Abstract

This chapter synthesizes Chapters 13–17. After distinguishing teacher leaders as individuals who enact various functions of teacher leadership in today’s schools, the chapter describes three themes related to teacher leader preparation and development in professional development schools (PDSs): (1) teacher leaders are made not born, (2) school–university partnerships create the conditions for developing high-quality teacher leaders, and (3) PDSs have the potential to develop teacher leaders as teacher educators. The chapter concludes with recommendations on how teacher leadership in PDSs can be strengthened.

Abstract

Details

Teacher Leadership in Professional Development Schools
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78743-404-2

Book part
Publication date: 22 August 2015

Meher Rizvi

An analysis of traditional authoritarian preservice teacher development approaches in Pakistan demonstrates that they develop teachers as technicians who carbon copy the same…

Abstract

An analysis of traditional authoritarian preservice teacher development approaches in Pakistan demonstrates that they develop teachers as technicians who carbon copy the same authoritarian training model in their classrooms. The more contemporary approaches to teacher education with leadership development focus are mostly limited to in-service teacher education programs. The key dilemma with in-service education is that once the teachers have received higher qualification they tend to move out of the classrooms to assume management positions. What Pakistan requires is classroom teacher leaders who have the capacity to initiate and sustain school improvement. I propose the pedagogy of transformation, which is based on the principles of participation and emancipation suited to develop preservice teachers as active professionals who have the capacity to influence and drive improvements in their own learning and in the learning of the children. The transformation pedagogy encompasses five specific instructional strategies for nurturing teachersleadership skills in the current preservice teacher preparation program in Pakistan. These are: encourage active involvement and delegation of authority among preservice teachers, engage preservice teachers in critical analysis and meta-cognitive tasks, building collaborative teams and professional networks among preservice teachers, providing preservice teachers with experience of working with real-life teacher leaders, and develop preservice teachers’ moral and ethical reasoning. I bring the discussion to a closure in the form of a framework which encompasses key elements of the proposed pedagogy. The framework can be adopted or adapted to give due considerations to the complexities of the contexts where it is being implemented.

Details

International Teacher Education: Promising Pedagogies (Part B)
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-669-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 July 2002

Dorothy Andrews and Frank Crowther

The concept of parallel leadership that is introduced in this article derives from a five‐year research project that was first reported in IJEM in 1997. Parallel leadership

3215

Abstract

The concept of parallel leadership that is introduced in this article derives from a five‐year research project that was first reported in IJEM in 1997. Parallel leadership represents a relationship between teacher leaders and principals that is grounded in the values of mutual trust, shared directionality and allowance for individual expression. It appears to provide a leadership foundation upon which successful school reform can be built. Thus, the lid of what Hallinger and Heck have called the “black box” of school reform may have been prised open.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 16 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2001

Boe Lahui‐Ako

The purpose of the study was to investigate to what extent Papua New Guinea (PNG) high school principals engage in tasks which constitute instructional leadership. The major…

2037

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate to what extent Papua New Guinea (PNG) high school principals engage in tasks which constitute instructional leadership. The major finding of the study was that the principals did engage in tasks which constitute instructional leadership, but the results indicated that their involvement in performing the five major functions were to a lesser degree than was deemed desirable and expected by the principals and teachers surveyed. This paper calls on the education authorities in PNG to re‐examine the selection, promotion, training and staff development opportunities for principals in order to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of principals in their jobs. With the challenges and demands of the changing educational environment in PNG now, more effective principals equipped with leadership and organizational knowledge and skills are required to lead schools.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 39 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 April 2018

Hảo Thi Nguyễn, Philip Hallinger and Chia Wen Chen

The purpose of this paper is to add to an emerging literature on educational leadership and management in Vietnam by addressing several goals. First, the study sought to…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to add to an emerging literature on educational leadership and management in Vietnam by addressing several goals. First, the study sought to translate, adapt, and validate an existing measurement instrument, the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) Teacher Form, for use in Vietnam. Next, it aimed to describe patterns of instructional leadership evidenced among a sample of urban and rural primary school principals. Then, the researchers examined if these patterns of principal instructional leadership could be linked to one or more “antecedent variables”: school size, school location (urban/rural), principal’s gender and prior teaching experience. Finally, the paper sought insights from principals and teachers on how instructional leadership could be strengthened in the Vietnamese education context.

Design/methodology/approach

Both quantitative survey and qualitative methods were used in this study. The sample consisted of 569 teachers and 117 principals working in 117 primary schools located in Ho Chi Minh province of Vietnam. Data collection employed a translated and adapted Vietnamese language form of the PIMRS Teacher Form. An open-ended question posed to both teachers and principals was included in the survey instrument to gather recommendations for strengthening instructional leadership in Vietnam. The research used Rasch analysis, Cronbach’s test of internal consistency, confirmatory factor analysis, t-tests, and analysis of variance in data analysis.

Findings

The research achieved a preliminary validation of a Vietnamese language Teacher Form of the PIMRS. The analysis of PIMRS data gathered from teachers found that the primary school principals were perceived to be exercising instructional leadership at a surprisingly high level. Consistent with international research findings, selected evidence indicated stronger instructional leadership from the female principals, though the pattern was not strong. None of the other antecedents evidenced a significant relationship with patterns of principal instructional leadership. A number of overlapping recommendations were made by teachers and principals for strengthening instructional leadership in Vietnam.

Research limitations/implications

Although a Teacher Form of the PIMRS Vietnam was successfully validated, follow-up studies should be conducted with both the Teacher Form and Principal Form of this instrument. More broadly, the high scores on the PIMRS accorded to the principals in this study were deemed “surprising” in light of the lack of prior policy focus and training on this role of the principal in Vietnam. Thus, the authors recommend that this research be extended to a larger cross-level study of schools from different parts of Vietnam in order to provide additional confirmation of these preliminary findings.

Practical implications

Feedback from principals and teachers indicated a need for system leaders to articulate instructional leadership more explicitly as part of the principal’s role set in Vietnam. Only then will it become part of the formal expectations that shape principals’ practice and the preparation and professional development programs in which they participate. The principals also suggested that instructional leadership could be strengthened by enabling model principals to share instructional leadership practices with colleagues. Finally, teachers and principals highlighted the need to broaden, legitimate, and strengthen sources of instructional leadership within the school beyond the principal. These suggestions are not only consistent with policy actions taken in other societies, but are also grounded in the context of education in Vietnam.

Originality/value

The first internationally published study of educational leadership and management in Vietnam only appeared in 2012. In the succeeding years, several qualitative studies have emerged describing principal leadership practices in a handful of schools. The current study represents the first published quantitative study of school leadership from Vietnam. Although the results are preliminary in nature, the study provides both baseline data on principal instructional leadership and a validated instrument that can be used in future research.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 32 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 December 2022

Haim Shaked

Previous studies found that principals must be involved in both instructional leadership and organizational management, yet they did not explain how the former supports the…

Abstract

Purpose

Previous studies found that principals must be involved in both instructional leadership and organizational management, yet they did not explain how the former supports the latter. To narrow this gap in the available research-based knowledge, the current study explored the contribution of organizational management to instructional leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was qualitative in nature. The study participants were 28 principals of elementary schools in Israel. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis, based on coding, aimed to cluster the eight organizational management functions according to how each function supports instructional leadership.

Findings

The present study revealed that the eight functions of organizational management support four main aspects of instructional leadership: (1) Developing a positive learning climate; (2) Improving teaching quality; (3) Realizing the school instructional vision; and (4) Enabling instructional leadership.

Originality/value

The findings of this study reinforce the argument that although instructional leadership is the critical component of effective school leadership, it should be supported by other frameworks.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 61 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 August 2012

David Ng Foo Seong and Jeanne Marie Ho

The purpose of this paper is to examine the process of information communication technology (ICT) reform in a government school in Singapore. The focus is on the distributed…

1911

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the process of information communication technology (ICT) reform in a government school in Singapore. The focus is on the distributed leadership actions performed by various individuals, and how the multiple leaders and their leadership practices interacted with one another.

Design/methodology/approach

A naturalistic inquiry approach was adopted, involving the case study of a school in the process of implementing an instructional reform involving the use of ICT.

Findings

It was found that distributed leadership for ICT implementation requires a combination of transformational leadership and instructional leadership to develop teachers’ capacity to enhance their instruction with ICT, emotional leadership to support teachers’ effort to change, and strategic management of resources to sustain teachers’ change efforts. Transformational leadership is performed mainly by senior management (SM). Instructional leadership is performed mainly by middle management (MM). Both senior and middle management provided emotional leadership and strategic resource management. In addition, SM provided second‐order changes leadership, while MM provided first‐order changes leadership.

Originality/value

The paper rectifies the current disproportionate focus on the role of the Principal by uncovering the leadership actions performed by other school members, and how these leadership actions are interrelated. In particular, the paper provides insight into how leadership was distributed in a school reform involving the use of ICT for instruction.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 26 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

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