The Potential to Build Collective Capacity for Organisational Learning in the Context of Teachers’ Use of Digital Technology for School Improvement

This article considers how digital spaces focused on whole school improvement combined with supportive leadership may be mobilised towards building collective capacity for evidence-informed practice and organisational learning. This topic originated from a qualitative, multi-method design-based research (DBR) project that studied practitioners’ use of an online resource for primary school practitioners called Pathways for school improvement, designed by Oxford University Press (OUP). Semi-structured interviews, participant observations and a documentary analysis were conducted with teachers and senior leaders in five primary schools across England between 2014 and 2016. Connections were made with the dynamic approach to school improvement (DASI) that encourages practitioners to systematically engage with a variety of evidence in their reflections and efforts to design school and classroom improvement strategies. Pathways’ four-step system and series of systematised tasks under each step seemed to provide opportunities for practitioners to explore elements of theory and practice in conjunction with empirical and pupil performance data, and potentially guide them through how to collaborate with others in developing specific whole school approaches to improvement. Opportunities and challenges in developing collective capacity for improvement are also explored.

Change Management Indicators and Their Applications in Strengthening the Process and Learning Organization Levels

(1) Background: This study is aimed at determining the strengthening process level, the learning organization level, and the indicator of change level among District Education Offices (PPDs’). This study aims to investigate the perceptions of the Head of District Education Officers and their use of change indicators in enhancing District Education Offices and their learning organization practices. (2) Methods: By using a mixed-method approach through an explanatory sequential design, a survey was conducted and 93 Head of District Education Officers throughout Malaysia were selected using the survey method through questionnaire. To identify the respondents, the study employed group sampling and strata random sampling techniques and the data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences software. Then, the qualitative study involved five Head of District Education Officers and two Program Managers who were chosen through purposive and snowball sampling. Through semi-structured interviews, data were then collected, and themes were formulated and analyzed using Nvivo 11. (3) Results: The results of the descriptive analysis show that the strengthening process level, the learning organization level, and the change indicator level in the District Education Office, are all high. Thus, the research findings illuminate six theme of change indicators, i.e., namely, Head of District Education Officers Roles and Responsibilities, Program Manager Roles and Responsibilities, School Improvement Partner+ (SIP+) Roles and Responsibilities and School Improvement Specialist Coaches+ (SISC+) Roles and Responsibilities, Performance Dialogue, Provision Management, Key Performance Indicators (KPI), Dashboard and PPD Excellence Rating. (4) Conclusions: This study offers insights into how the PPDs’ can utilize, as a reference for monitoring, the implemented changes in the District Transformation Program, to see if they are on the right track, and also as treatment to deal with any conflicts or issues in the transformational programme.

School Improvement by Addressing Bullying: Α Case Study in Greece

<p style="text-align: justify;">The main purpose of this study case is to investigate the contribution of the school community to the improvement of the school. In that context, a two-phase research was conducted. In the first phase, the self-evaluation process was implemented during the first year of the research with the participation of the school community. An overall picture of the school was created, with its strong and weak points reflected in the school's final self-evaluation report. Upon the completion of the school self-evaluation process the school community decided on the implementation of actions in order to reduce a number of dysfunctional behaviors, such as bullying incidents that occurred in the school on the part of some students. The school actions and the relevant results constituted the second phase of the research work. The results showed that some of the dysfunctional behaviors were found to be decreased to a statistically significant level after action was taken by the school community.</p>

School Improvement by Addressing Bullying: Α Case Study in Greece

<p style="text-align: justify;">The main purpose of this study case is to investigate the contribution of the school community to the improvement of the school. In that context, a two-phase research was conducted. In the first phase, the self-evaluation process was implemented during the first year of the research with the participation of the school community. An overall picture of the school was created, with its strong and weak points reflected in the school's final self-evaluation report. Upon the completion of the school self-evaluation process the school community decided on the implementation of actions in order to reduce a number of dysfunctional behaviors, such as bullying incidents that occurred in the school on the part of some students. The school actions and the relevant results constituted the second phase of the research work. The results showed that some of the dysfunctional behaviors were found to be decreased to a statistically significant level after action was taken by the school community.</p>

Changing Parental Perceptions Adding Value to School Improvement Processes in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

Parental perceptions and perspectives play a critical role in their motivation, interest, participation, and valuation of children’s education which ultimately influences the quality of education in schools. This article reports the change of perception and perspectives of the parents under the influence of a comprehensive school improvement intervention. A quantitative survey approach was employed in this study including 680 parents from 6 districts. The data was collected in two rounds following the pre- and post- intervention approach. The first round of data was collected at the beginning of the project and the second round was collected at its end. The paired sample t-test showed significant difference between pre- and postintervention responses of parents about improved relationships between the school and the parents (p < 0.000), increased cocurricular activities in the school (p < 0.000), fulfillment of students’ educational curriculum requirements (p < 0.000), the provision of equal attention to both boys and girls (p < 0.002), the obligation of the parents to ensure the physical and moral development of their children (p < 0.000), the provision of a safe, healthy, and educational environment at home by the parents (p < 0.000), and the development and maintenance of positivity expressed by parents for the success of their children (p < 0.000). Hence, the study found that a planned intervention has the potential to positively change the perceptions, perspectives, and valuation of children’s academic development.

Performance and Effectiveness of Catholic Schools in Tagum

Schools and education authorities became increasingly aware of the need to be effective due to the pressures for accountability brought by national and local government levels and school stakeholders in relation to the demands of the new educational system. This study determined the performance of the schools and effectiveness of the administrators with the human resource development in the selected Catholic schools in Tagum, Davao del Norte. Findings of the study served as inputs for the improved administrative manual and school improvement plan. The study utilized mixed methods among the 250 participants. The instrument focused on the indicators based on the Fund for Assistance to Private Education. Vision and mission, curriculum and instruction, faculty development, student development, physical plant and facilities, financial and business administration, and school and community involvement were considered advanced and were sustained for a longer period of time. The administrators’ level of implementation in the human resource management and development functions was considered adequate. The implementation in terms of benefits, remuneration and evaluation were also evident. Employment policy, work regulations, discipline, leave of absence, and grievance and complaints were substantially observed. There is a significant relationship between the performance of schools and administrators’ effective implementation of human resource management and development functions. There was shared understanding on roles, responsibilities, and expectations by the stakeholders.

The Methodological Consistency of Master’s of Education Dissertations at Eduardo Mondlane University (2013 - 2018)

This study examined the methodological consistency of Master of Educationdissertations defended at Eduardo Mondlane University (EMU) from 2013 to2018 using the typology of educational research proposed by Postlethwaite(2005), Norman et al. (2002), and Creswell (2012). The qualitative, comparativestudy employed a grounded theory design. Data were gathered from apurposive sample of 33 dissertations, available on the university’s OpenInstitutional Repository. Coding and anonymous analysis were performedof the dissertations’ title, research methodology, and findings. The findingsreveal that a large number of these dissertations are not methodologicallyconsistent and thus do not lay the foundation for further research and otherinterventions for school improvement. They thus point to the need to improve the quality of supervision and research in postgraduate studies in Education at EMU.Key words: EMU, Master’s dissertations, educational research, methodologicalconsistency, supervision