Professional Learning Among School Leaders in Secondary Education: The Impact of Personal and Work Context Factors

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth van Veelen ◽  
Peter J. C. Sleegers ◽  
Maaike D. Endedijk
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
School Context ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learning Climate ◽  
Career Awareness ◽  
Context Factors ◽  
Task Variation

Purpose: School leadership is fundamental in efforts to successfully implement school reform and improve student and teacher learning. Although there is an abundant amount of research on school leaders’ formal training, assessment, and practice, little is known about their informal professional learning. In other words, how do school leaders learn at the workplace? To answer this question, we took an interactionist approach and argued that school leadership learning is based on the interplay between the school environment and the person. Specifically, we investigated the effect of school context (learning climate, social support), task (task variation), and the personal factor self-efficacy on both individual (reflection and career awareness) and social (asking for feedback and challenging groupthink) learning activities. Method: A questionnaire was administered among 1,150 school leaders in Dutch secondary education. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed relationships between our model variables. Findings: Self-efficacy positively predicted all four learning activities. Task variation positively predicted asking for feedback and reflection. Learning climate positively predicted asking for feedback, reflection, and career awareness. Interestingly, the effect of social support was twofold: It positively predicted social learning, but it negatively predicted individual learning. Finally, self-efficacy was an important mediator in the relationship between school context and professional learning. Conclusions: This study demonstrates how personal, task, and school context factors affect school leaders’ professional learning. These insights help develop tools and conditions for leaders to reflect and discuss on their practice, and to set an example for lifelong learning in schools.

The impact of teacher entrepreneurial behaviour: a timely investigation of an emerging phenomenon

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 697-712
Author(s):  
Chun Sing Maxwell Ho ◽  
Jiafang Lu ◽  
Darren A. Bryant
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
School Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Professional Capital ◽  
Supplementary School ◽  
Entrepreneurial Behaviour ◽  
Instructional Roles ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study aims to understand of the role that teacher entrepreneurial behavior plays in developing teacher professional capital. The extant concepts around school leadership mostly encompass the transformative and instructional roles of school leaders in managing, mobilizing and supporting teachers for student achievement. However, school leadership has not focused strongly on promoting innovation and risk-taking for schools in a knowledge economy. As a timely promising response to the increasingly demanding and competitive school context, teacher entrepreneurial behaviour (TEB), which emphasizes teachers' willingness to take risks and be daring, has started to gain recognition in the school leadership literature, yet a nuanced understanding of TEB's potential impacts on schools is lacking.Design/methodology/approachBased on a combined consideration of institutionalized recognition and expert judgement, this study identified three innovative entrepreneurial teachers/teacher groups that had won the most competitive teaching award in Hong Kong. Employing a multiple-site case study design, this study conducted semi-structured interviews with 23 informants and collected supplementary school documents and records.FindingsThis study found that TEB enables the implementation of innovation and promotes cross-subject alignment. It cultivates trusting and coherent relationships among teachers. Teachers with TEB scaled up innovation among other teachers. Furthermore, entrepreneurial teachers enhance school attractiveness by creating competitive advantages.Originality/valueThis analysis showed that TEB enables formal and informal school leaders to bring forth critical school outcomes. This study elaborates how TEB enhances teachers' professional capital through building trusting and coherent relationships. It also adds to the research on school innovation by demonstrating that TEB fosters teachers' capacity for bottom-up innovation in the community.

Exploring the relationships among instructional leadership, professional learning communities and teacher self-efficacy in China

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 843-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Zheng ◽  
Hongbiao Yin ◽  
Zhanglin Li
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning Community ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Collaborative Activity ◽  
Reflective Dialogue ◽  
Teacher Self Efficacy

The study explored the relationships among instructional leadership, professional learning community components, and teacher self-efficacy in the context of mainland China. Study subjects were 1082 elementary school teachers participating in a questionnaire survey. The results showed that instructional leadership had significant effects on the five professional learning community components, four of which, collaborative activity, collective focus on student learning, de-privatized practice, and reflective dialogue, positively predicted teacher self-efficacy. Analysis showed that collaborative activity, de-privatized practice, and reflective dialogue significantly mediated the effects of instructional leadership on teacher self-efficacy. Implications for school leadership and teacher learning are discussed.

Leadership that matters: creating cultures of academic optimism that support teacher learning in Thailand

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 605-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhirapat Kulophas ◽  
Philip Hallinger
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Learning ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Academic Optimism ◽  
Teacher Professional Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Centered ◽  
Teacher Professional

PurposeResearch on school leadership has confirmed that principals influence teacher and student learning by building an “academic-focused ethos” in their schools. In this study, our objective was to examine if and how the learning-centered leadership of principals influenced academic optimism of teachers and the resulting effects on their engagement in professional learning. More specifically, we examined this hypothesized set of leadership effects among teachers and principals in high schools located in Thailand.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted with 1,763 teachers and 152 principals from 159 randomly selected, medium size secondary schools located in Thailand. The research employed multi-level structural equation modeling and bootstrapping analyses in order to test and explore these relationships in a mediation model of school leadership effects on teacher professional learning through academic optimism.FindingsResults of this study reinforce prior research which has found that principal leadership can have significant direct and indirect effects on the professional learning of teachers. This finding is important because, as elaborated earlier, scholars believe that teacher professional learning is a key to sustainable improvement in schools. More specifically, our results extend prior research in two ways. First, as the first study to link Learning-Centered Leadership with Academic Optimism, this study extends findings that point to the role of school leadership in sustaining a culture of academic optimism in schools. Second, this study also established Academic Optimism as a mediator through which school leadership supports Teacher Professional Learning.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough our results support a positive conclusion concerning the effects of school leadership and academic optimism on teacher learning, this was a cross-sectional study. Therefore, caution must be exercised before drawing causal attributions. For example, research has also found that teachers who work in schools that evidence features of a professional learning community are more likely to have a greater sense of collective teacher efficacy, a variable that is also associated with Academic Optimism. Therefore, although our study proposed Academic Optimism as the mediator and teacher professional learning as the dependent variable, it is also possible that this relationship could be reversed or reciprocal (i.e. mutually reinforcing). Future research should continue to examine these possibilities using longitudinal and/or experimental research designs that enable clearer delineation of causal relationships. We also suggest the utility of qualitative and mixed methods studies capable of exploring in greater depth the mechanisms through which school leadership contributes to productive teacher learning.Practical implicationsThere is a need in Thailand, and elsewhere, to redefine the formal roles and professional standards of school leaders to include learning-centered practices. These standards should be embedded into the redesign of pre-service and in-service education programs for teachers and principals. We believe that, at present, relatively few school leaders in Thailand genuinely understand the meaningful impact they can have on teacher learning, and by extension, on student learning. Thus, there is a need for systemic change that recasts the nature of leadership expected from principals as well as the level of lifelong learning expected of teachers.Originality/valueThe findings from this research contribute to an evolving knowledge base on how school leaders influence teacher learning in different national contexts. The research also extends prior research by exploring the role of academic optimism as a mediator of school leadership effects on teacher learning.

Merit selecting school leaders: Australian principals' perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1303-1315
Author(s):  
Kevin Steed ◽  
John De Nobile ◽  
Manjula Waniganayake
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
School Principals ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
The State ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
South Wales

PurposeThis research paper explores the perspectives of Australian school principals in the state of New South Wales (NSW) regarding what they believe constitutes “merit” when selecting deputy principals, assistant principals (primary) and head teachers (secondary).Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was utilised to collect qualitative and quantitative data from school principals across the state of NSW to investigate their understanding of, and approach to, the merit selection of their respective school leadership cadres.FindingsStudy findings indicated a statewide variance in the perceptions of principals when identifying merit for the purposes of recruiting school leadership teams. These findings question the widely held view that candidates compete for school leadership positions on a level playing field.Practical implicationsIn practical terms, the findings indicate that NSW school principals would benefit from more intensive professional learning opportunities designed to enhance their ability to objectively identify and assess merit when selecting school leaders.Originality/valueThis study contributes to an enhanced understanding in an area where there is a paucity of research-based evidence focusing upon the perspectives of school principals regarding their understanding of meritocratic theory and its influence on their school leadership selection practice.

scholarly journals Teaching thinking in South African schools: Selected school leaders’ perceptions

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Lena Green ◽  
Karen Collett
Keyword(s):  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Cognitive Education ◽  
Teaching Thinking

In this article we argue that school leaders should ensure that teachers experience a supportive professional learning community committed to collaborative, thoughtful inquiry and be enabled to create similar communities in their classrooms. This study followed on one published in 2017 that explored school leaders’ responses to an introduction to cognitive education. The same participants investigated cognitive education practices (ways of teaching thinking) in their schools, with an emphasis on the factors that facilitated or constrained implementation. Using a qualitative research approach an open ended research assignment in the form of a report was completed by 32 teachers in school leadership positions. The data was analysed using the guidelines of grounded theory to identify key themes. The findings suggest a possible starting point for leadership initiatives, although cognitive education practices in the participating schools were constrained by a number of structural, contextual and personal factors. Discussion highlights the importance of the development of professional learning communities that focus on cognitive education and identifies a possible leadership direction, namely, building on the progress already made in training teachers to apply Bloom’s taxonomy to assessment tasks. Although our data is from schools in one area of South Africa, our conclusions are likely to have implications for school leadership generally, with particular reference to the development of classroom and professional thinking and learning communities.

Tok stori as pedagogy: an approach to school leadership education in Solomon Islands

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Kabini Sanga ◽  
Martyn Reynolds ◽  
Stanley Houma ◽  
Jack Maebuta
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Solomon Islands ◽  
Development Aid ◽  
Leadership Education ◽  
Development Work ◽  
Teaching Process

Abstract Tok stori is a Melanesian form of dialogical engagement. Although it has been generally associated with informal activities, this article points to the potential of tok stori as a pedagogical or teaching process. Set in a school leadership programme spread across the Solomon Islands, the discussion illustrates the value of approaching the education of school leaders through their own experiences and in a manner to which they are accustomed. Data are drawn from the stories of programme mentors. Of particular relevance are the relational implications of tok stori as these frame learning, the kinds of learning facilitated by tok stori, gender and the restricted nature of some knowledge, and the openness of tok stori to encourage and promote learning beyond the initial scope of a programme. Although tok stori can be informal, the data suggest that effective professional learning can take place through tok stori as pedagogy. As one amongst a number of traditional oral forms across the region and beyond, the claims made for tok stori in this context provide further support for the inclusion of Indigenous approaches to development work in and beyond Solomon Islands. This is important if development aid is to move to a new level of efficacy.

What impedes the development of professional learning communities in China? Perceptions from leaders and frontline teachers in three schools in Shanghai

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Zhang ◽  
Rui Yuan ◽  
Shulin Yu
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Future Research ◽  
External Resources ◽  
Accountability System ◽  
Accountability Policy ◽  
Financial Power

Using qualitative data collected from three high schools in Shanghai, this study explored the barriers to the development of professional learning communities (PLCs) in Chinese schools from the perspectives of school leaders and teachers. Results indicate that the barriers identified by teachers in the development of PLCs include insufficient collaborative time, ineffective school leadership, unfavourable accountability policy, and lack of collaborative professional culture. By contrast, school leaders regard the absence of financial power, passive teachers, an unfavourable accountability system, and shortage of external resources as the major impediments to PLCs. Moreover, both similarities and differences are observed in the perceptions of teachers and school leaders regarding the barriers to PLC development. Practical implications for the effective implementation of PLCs and suggestions for future research are also presented.

scholarly journals Inquiry-based leadership

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 492-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisette Uiterwijk-Luijk ◽  
Meta Krüger ◽  
Bonne Zijlstra ◽  
Monique Volman
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Social Pressure ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Friends ◽  
Affective Attitude ◽  
Culture Of Inquiry

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of psychological factors that influence inquiry-based leadership. This study investigates how affective attitude, experienced social pressure, and self-efficacy relate to aspects of inquiry-based school leadership. A school leader’s inquiry habit of mind, data literacy, and the extent to which he or she creates a culture of inquiry in the school are each identified as aspects of inquiry-based leadership. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from questionnaires completed by a sample of 79 school leaders. Findings A significant relationship was found between self-efficacy regarding inquiry-based leadership and all aspects of inquiry-based leadership. Affective attitude toward inquiry-based leadership was significantly related to creating a culture of inquiry. There was no unique relationship between experienced social pressure and inquiry-based leadership. Practical implications Administrators and educators of school leaders who aim to stimulate inquiry-based school leadership should not only focus on increasing the capacity of school leaders to lead their school in an inquiry-based way, but they should also focus on leaders’ self-efficacy and on fostering leaders’ positive attitude toward inquiry-based school leadership. Administrators and educators can, for example, give positive feedback, emphasize the added value of inquiry-based leadership, encourage working with critical friends, and stimulate collaboration with other leaders. Originality/value This study addresses two gaps in the existing research, by focusing on inquiry-based leadership instead of data use and on psychological factors instead of knowledge and skills that are related to this type of leadership.

scholarly journals Rektorutdanningens potensial i en flerkulturell kontekst

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 103-123
Author(s):  
Fred Carlo Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Culturally Diverse ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
School Context ◽  
Leadership Preparation ◽  
Leadership Quality ◽  
National School ◽  
Society Perspective ◽  
Multicultural School

I et samfunnsperspektiv er det nødvendig å gi økt oppmerksomhet til spørsmål som berører språklig og kulturelt mangfold, der skoleledere har et særskilt ansvar for å følge opp den nasjonale skolepolitikken på dette området. Utdanning av skoleledere, slik som rektorutdanningen som har vært tilbudt siden 2009, har som formål å utvikle skoleledernes kompetanse på mange områder. Evaluereringer av dette utdanningstilbudet har vist at deltakerne oppfatter utdanningens pedagogiske kvalitet og praksisrelevans som høy. Vi vet imidlertid mindre om hvordan rektorutdanningen bidrar til bedre ledelse i en flerkulturell skole. Formålet med denne artikkelen er å undersøke på hvilken måte rektorutdanningen har potensial til å utvikle ledere for en inkluderende, likeverdig og rettferdig flerkulturell skole. Analysen er bygd på intervjuer med skoleledere som har deltatt i rektorutdanningen i perioden 2013–2015. Resultatene, som er drøftet i lys av et kritisk perspektiv på ledelse, viser at temaer knyttet til språklig og kulturelt mangfold i skolen ikke var berørt i særlig grad. Analysen indikerer også at rektorutdanningen ikke har bidratt til økt kompetanse i å håndtere utfordringer knyttet til språklig og kulturelt mangfold. Ett unntak gjelder imidlertid utdanningsrettslige emner. Det er mye som tyder på at rektorutdanningen har et stort potensial når det gjelder å bidra til å utvikle skolelederes kompetanse for en språklig og kulturelt mangfoldig hverdag.Nøkkelord: skolelederes kompetanse, rektorutdanning, språklig og kulturelt mangfold, kritisk teoriAbstractFrom a society perspective it is necessary to pay increased attention to questions concerning linguistic and cultural diversity, where school leaders have a particular responsibility to follow up the national school policy within this area. The national school leadership program in Norway, which started in 2009, aims at developing school leaders in many areas. Evaluations have shown that the participants consider the pedagogical quality and the relevance for their praxis as very high. However, we do not know how the program contributes to increased leadership quality in linguistically and culturally diverse schools. This article aims at investigating the program’s potential to develop leaders for a more inclusive, equity oriented multicultural school. The analysis builds on reflection notes and interviews with school leaders who have participated in the program between 2013 and 2015. The results discussed in the light of critical perspectives on school leadership, show that themes related to linguistic and cultural diversity are rare. Except for juridical subjects, the analyses indicate that the program has not contributed to increased competence regarding leadership in a linguistically and culturally diverse school context. However, the program has a great potential to develop school leaders for this context.Kewwords: school leaders’ competence, school leadership preparation program, linguistic and cultural diversity, critical theory

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