Implementing Mandated Pedagogical Change In Schools: The Role Of Leadership

Author(s):

Lisa Vinnicombe(presenting / submitting)Andrea Gallant

Conference:

ECER 2016

Network:

26. Educational Leadership

Format:

Paper

Session Information

26 SES 04 A, Leadership vis a vis Teachership

Paper Session

Time:

2016-08-24

09:00-10:30

Room:

OB-H1.51

Chair:

Ulf Leo

Contribution

Current international literature into implementing change in schools highlights the importance of effective leadership (McGinty, R. and Gunter, H. 2012; Ball, S.J., Maguire, M., Braun, A, and Hoskins, K. 2011; Fullan, M., 2011). Teacher emotion and identity are key factors to consider in the change process, as suggested in Gallant, A. and Riley, P. 2013; Kelchtermans, G. 2007; Hargreaves, A. 1998; and Noddings, N. 1992. Among those who have considered accountability in terms of school improvement and change in the international landscape include Mockler, N. 2012; Perryman, J., Ball, S., Maguire, M., & Braun, A. 2011; Darling-Hammond, L. and Lieberman, A. 2012; Fink, D. 2011.

The aim of this research was to add to the growing international emphasis on the need to consider the teachers’ voice in understanding how mandated pedagogical change impacted on the lives of teachers. Conflict arose for the teachers when there was a perception of ineffective leadership at the school level which focused heavily on managerialism, and an educational bureaucracy that placed minimal value on their knowledge and experience.

This research used Bourdieu’s thinking tools, habitus, field, capital, illusio and doxa as its theoretical framework. Habitus investigates how teacher leaders might respond to and deal with change and policy enactment – whether they feel a part of it, or whether they cannot imagine any other way or whether or not they have the power or knowledge to have any influence. The teacher leaders in this study considered the notion of teaching and education as the game as proposed by Bourdieu, in which they were the players, each of whom had a certain amount of capital.

Kelchtermans (2007) raised the significance of teacher vulnerability as a condition of their work. He suggested that if the teachers have less of a sense of control over their profession, they could become cynical, disengaged and ambivalent (Kelchtermans, 2007).

Ball et al (2011) referred to the paradox of enactment for teachers who are engaged with policy development and implementation but often sidelined in the process, either as a result of the prevailing school hierarchy of management or as a result of simply lack of time and energy. This is aligned with Bourdieu’s notion of field and education as a game where the teachers are the players.

Similarly, McGinty and Gunter (2012) suggested that the successful implementation of policy from a central body may depend on how the teachers and leaders within the school are positioned in relation to the policy and whether or not they will “play the game” (McGinty & Gunter, 2012, p. 229). The policy process is a game and whether or not the schools and the teachers will play that game depends largely on their ‘feel’ for the game, and whether it rests easily with their beliefs – their illusio.

Fullan (2011) pointed to reasons why in efforts to find a rapid improvement for schools, policy makers become imbued with a sense of urgency and choose hastily. He suggested that increased emphasis on accountability as a tool for whole school improvement could ultimately be an ineffective driver (Fullan, 2011, p. 5).

Perryman et al (2011) observed that in England, accountability and a focus on a results-driven approach could be a distraction from the intended purpose of whole school improvement. They highlighted teaching as an emotional occupation, an idea also proposed by Gallant and Riley, (2013), Hargreaves (1998) and Nodding (1992).

The notion of self in the leadership of teaching is aligned with teacher role and teacher identity. This highlights why the relationship between ones habitus and one’s place in the field and their perceived power in this competitive space, is an important aspect that requires investigating.

Method

The chosen methodology was a heuristic case study (Merriam, S. B., 1998), involving ten teacher leaders from a multi -campus state secondary school in semi-rural Victoria. With a population of around nine hundred students and situated in a relatively stable community, the school was demographically representative of similar schools across the state. The teachers who were invited to participate in this study can be considered to be teacher leaders, as their professional and personal qualities align with the description offered by Gilbert, R. (2011), of teacher leaders. The group included male and female teachers of a range of ages and experiences. There were three data collection stages, and each stage is complete and has been analysed: Stage One: At the first stage of data collection, the teacher leaders were asked to write their personal change narrative, considering how they respond to change and if anything has been difficult for them in the face of change. These were read and coded and there was evidence that three major themes emerged from the narratives relating to their response to change: the relentlessness of change, the loss of autonomy through change, and the emotional labour of change. Stage Two: From the themes which emerged in the narratives, ten questions were posed to the participants in semi-structured interviews. The findings of the interviews indicated that the teachers were driven by a strong sense of moral purpose, that personal safety was a priority for them if they were to thrive as teachers, and that they used their capital and place in the field to justify targeted resistance to change, when immediate benefits for their students were not recognized. The teacher leaders identified challenges in their work in the change climate and looked to leadership for guidance. The teacher leaders identified shortcomings in the leadership team which was highlighted by a management style that was not effective in the school climate. Stage Three: The final data collection stage was a focus group discussion. The teacher leaders were invited to consider the game of teaching and how they saw themselves as the players on the field. The discussion revealed a sense of disillusionment with their leaders and an overall sense that the teacher leaders felt that their professional knowledge was regularly compromised in a climate where their opinions were not sought and their expertise was, they felt, not valued.

Expected Outcomes

Analysis of the results to date has indicated that teachers’ belief in the game of teaching – their illusio – is often challenged to a point where they may feel their teacher leadership and or professionalism is compromised. Their expectations of educational leadership are often not met and this leads to frustration within their field. In a culture of performance accountability, there was evidence of tensions between competing interests of the teacher leaders in the study and the school leadership team. This resulted in teacher dissatisfaction, teacher disillusionment and a negative impact on improving student outcomes. The teacher leaders reported feeling frustrated with the state education system and with their school leadership. The teacher leaders presented a case for a targeted and deliberate resistance to change when they could not see its immediate relevance for students, and when they doubted the immediate application of the change was practical, and when they were skeptical about the capacity of the leadership team to manage the change. In a change climate, teacher leaders sought guidance from the leadership team. The teacher leaders identified a conflict around obligations and accountability; the dilemma was located in striking a balance between one’s professional obligations yet still maintaining one’s own sense of moral purpose and integrity. The interviews presented a compelling case for ongoing research to consider what is really changing in education and to what degree school leaders are assisting or impeding the efforts of teachers to continue to work on developing relevant curriculum and pedagogy. The interviews suggested that change is often compromised by poor leadership and is stymied by an approach that does not consider the capacity of teachers to be leaders within themselves. The situation was further exacerbated by external authorities which were perceived as being out of step with school priorities.

References

Ball, S.J., Maguire, M., Braun, A, and Hoskins, K. (2011). Policy actors: doing policy work in schools. Discourse: Studies in the cultural politics of education, 32:4, 625 – 639, DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2011.601565 Bourdieu, P. and Wacquant, L. (1992). An invitation to reflexive sociology. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Bourdieu, P. (1990). The logic of practice. Polity Press, Cambridge, UK. Darling-Hammond, L. & Lieberman, A. (2012). Teacher education around the world. New York: Routledge. Fink, D. (2011). The ‘accountability bus’: Dead ends, muddled maps and road kill. Centre for Strategic Education, Seminar Series Paper No. 205, July 2011. Fullan, M. (2011). Choosing the wrong drivers for whole system reform. Education Seminar Series Paper No. 204, Centre for Strategic Education, Victoria, Australia. Gallant, A. & Riley, P. (2013). The emotional labour of the aspirant leader: traversing school politics. In M. Newberry, & A. Gallant, & P. Riley (Eds) (2013). Emotion and School: Understanding how the hidden curriculum influences relationships, leadership, teaching and learning. pp 81–97. UK: Emerald Publishing Group. Gilbert, R. (2011). Professional learning flagship program: leading curriculum change. Melbourne, Australia: Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). Grenfell, M. (2012). Pierre Bourdieu: Key concepts. (2nd ed.). Durham: Acumen Publishing. Hargreaves, A. (1998). The emotional practice of teaching. Teaching and teacher education. Vol. 14, No. 8, pp. 835 – 854. Kelchtermans, G. (2007). Teachers’ self-understanding in times of performativity. Lecture presented at the International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching, Sydney, July 2005. McGinty, R. and Gunter, H. (2012). Living improvement 2: A case study of a secondary school in England. Improving schools. 228 – 244. DOI: 10. 1177/1365480212458864. Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Mockler, N. (2011). Beyond ‘what works’: understanding teacher identity as a practical and political tool. Teachers and teaching: theory and practice. 17:5, 517 - 528. DOI: 10. 1080/13540602.2011.602059. Perryman, J., Ball, S., Maguire, M., & Braun, A. (2011). Life in the pressure cooker – school league tables and English and Maths teachers’ responses to accountability in a results-driven era. British Journal of Educational Studies, 59:2, p. 179 – 195, DOI: 10.1080/00071005.2011.578568

Author Information

Lisa Vinnicombe (presenting / submitting)

Deakin University

Thornbury

Andrea Gallant

Deakin University, Australia

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