This study examines the challenges head teachers can face while attempting to build teachers' and inter-school networking culture in a French international school network in country A. This specific network which comprises at least 43 schools and three main diverse sub-networks. We chose this specific network because it is the largest among a global and unique French international schools network made up of 522 educational establishments in 139 countries. Our aim is to examine the effect of head teachers’ leadership styles in fostering or hampering networking among teachers and inter-school networking. 

The need for networking among teachers has been analyzed by many educational researchers (Huberman, 1995; Lieberman & Miller, 2001; Fullan & Hargreaves, 2012) and also emphasized in the works of Cochran-Smith & Lytle (1999, 2001). According to Smith & Lytle (2001), the complexity of the teaching profession is linked to the teacher's obligation to engage in several processes of constructing his/her knowledge. These processes enable teachers to make effective changes in their practices. The first axis concerns "Knowledge for Practice". This knowledge is constructed through several means among which we can mention in-service training, reading and attending conferences. However, these sources of knowledge do not guarantee the transfer or integration of this new “knowledge” into teaching practices.

The second axis concerns "Knowledge in practice". The latter is built through experimentation, or the implementation of a new method which can be proposed during a training session for example. This knowledge is consolidated through collaboration, dialogue and networking between teachers. The dynamics of interaction between peers can generate reflection in the teacher, improve the implementation of a new method and encourage the building of new knowledge.

The third axis concerns the "Knowledge of practice". It focuses on the teacher's reflective capacity to question his or her teaching methods and, through collaboration with peers, to build the use of several resources, questioning the impact of his or her methods on student learning and his or her knowledge of practice. The combination of these three axes constitutes the three sources of knowledge that lead to effective networking which paves the way for professional development (Crochan- Smith and Lytle, 2001). We would like to know how head teachers’ leadership styles support the above-mentioned knowledge- building processes in order to foster networking among teachers and inter-school networking at large.

Besides knowledge about educational practices, teachers need feedback and coaching by head teachers. Indeed, an OECD report (2012) confirms that effective leadership, teacher support and the development and the promotion of a culture of networking are at the heart of school leadership

To what extent do head teachers help teachers build up their own knowledge? What are the dilemmas and challenges they may face? What are the processes which sustain the establishment collaboration and networking among teachers? What are the challenges that teachers themselves might face in this process of building up their own knowledge? Which compromise can head teachers make to foster a culture of networking among teachers and establish inter-school dialogue and networking?

Many education researchers (Karsenti, 2006 ; Reichardt and Rallis, 1994; Rousseau et al. 2004) believe that the combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches provides a complementarity that allows a better understanding of the complexity of individuals' experiences. Consequently, this research combines both qualitative and quantitative methods. In fact, we conducted a survey (N=423) among teachers and conducted 51 interviews. Our work is based our study on the findings of an exploratory survey we conducted on head teachers in three international French schools in 2010-2011. In order to do our field work, we selected an international network which comprises 43 schools in country A. We have selected a stratified sample of 10 schools. Our representative sample consists of secondary school teachers, school principals, assistant head teachers. We have designed a survey and collected 423 questionnaires which were completed by teachers. The evaluation of the validity of the survey questionnaire was tested by measuring the internal consistency of the different items on each scale. Internal consistency reflects the degree of interrelation between items on the same scale. It is evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were adopted. In the first stage, the data from the questionnaire containing the modalities representing the teachers' opinions were grouped together, then coded according to the Likert scale and then calculated with the support of SPSS statistical software, which specializes in processing quantitative and statistical data. Once coding was completed, means and standard deviation were calculated by institution, gender, subject area, function, years of teaching experience and years of institutional experience. Given the focus of the research, the test used to estimate the presence or absence of significant differences according to the variables selected was the analysis of variance. The MANOVA analysis of variance, using repeated measures, allows for the analysis of differences between institutions according to the above-mentioned criteria. The data from the questionnaire were analysed using descriptive and probabilistic statistical procedures. The averages obtained finally allowed a comparative analysis of the differences between the surveyed establishments. These results were cross-referenced with the results of the 51 interviews we conducted with school head teachers as well as the international school network representatives.

We begin with the findings that flow directly from the gathered data. The first salient point concerns the significant differences between the culture of each school in the network. Indeed, the diversity of teachers' and head teachers' representations of teachership and networking creates complexity that affects the culture of the school and its relationship with other schools in the network. The results of the qualitative and quantitative survey help reveal many challenges. For instance, our findings show that the construction of a teacher's knowledge via interaction with other teachers varies from one school to another and is directly affected by the school head teacher's leadership style. More precisely, in some schools, teachers are given sustainable support by the school head teacher and are constantly encouraged to take initiatives and build knowledge by networking with other teachers who work not only in the same school but also in other schools. However, we noticed that, in others schools, teachers are not given the opportunity to take any initiatives since they are perceived as mere "receivers" or "implementers" of the curriculum, which reflects another challenge faced by teachers. Therefore, our research findings show that leadership styles have a great impact on fostering networking among teachers and inter-school networking, which reflects the need to reconsider head teachers' training.

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