Session Information
26 SES 17 A, Perspectives of Educational Leadership
Paper Session
Contribution
While distributed leadership has no universally accepted definition, it is largely accepted as a form of shared leadership that is spread across leaders, followers, and the situation (Spillane 2005). The model has been regularly researched over the last twenty years and has been the cause of much debate among the educational leadership academic community. Its elusive nature has added to challenges in researching the topic as this has led to theorists talking past each other causing misunderstandings (Mayrowetz 2008). Distributed leadership has been described as a potential case of “old wine in new bottles” (Spillane 2005, 149) and concerns have been raised about the suitability of the shared model in the bureaucracy of schools (Hartley 2010). Nonetheless, it has become the most frequently implemented school leadership theory internationally and is commonly accepted as good practice among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers alike.
The distributed leadership model has recently become embedded in Irish policy (Barrett 2018; Department of Education 2022), like many other countries internationally. Yet, little is known about post-primary school leaders’ lived experiences of this shared model of leadership. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the lived experience of post-primary school principals and deputy principals of distributed leadership as set out in policy.
As this paper is part of the first author’s doctoral thesis, this aim was achieved using a conceptual framework developed as part of her doctoral thesis. This comprises interacting elements relating to features of distributed leadership, policy, and practice. The policy element of the conceptual framework relates to two government documents discussing school leadership; Leadership and management in post-primary schools (Barrett 2018) and Looking at our school 2022: A quality framework for post-primary schools (Department of Education 2022). The practice element of the conceptual framework comprises school culture, context, and situation including organisational routines, structures, and tools as outlined by Spillane (2005). Lastly, the characteristics of distributed leadership relate to various concepts found within research that aid in explaining aspects of distributed leadership. This includes building leadership capacity, power and empowerment, accountability, division of labour, sustainability, and trust. This conceptual framework helped to inform the research questions as well as aid in data analysis.
Method
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen principals and deputy principals currently working in Irish post-primary schools to achieve the aim of this study. Snowball sampling was utilised to recruit participants and participation was fully voluntary. This included the invitation of principals and deputy principals currently enrolled in leadership professional development courses at the researchers’ host institution as well as a request for teachers enrolled in these courses to invite the principals and deputy principals in their schools. An invitation to participate was also shared on Twitter, whereby interested parties were invited to fill out an expression of interest form. The researchers subsequently followed up on expressions of interest with an information sheet, research privacy notice, and consent form which participants were required to sign prior to conducting an interview. Recruitment resulted in a total of fifteen participants, six of whom were principals and nine of whom were deputy principals. Interviews were conducted online using Microsoft Teams and were video/audio recorded. Recordings were then transcribed and anonymised and participants were assigned pseudonyms. Transcripts were returned to participants for interviewee transcript review, whereby participants were given the opportunity to make edits to their transcript. Two participants made minor amendments to their scripts. An iterative approach to interviewing was utilised, whereby the researchers reflected on each interview after it had been conducted, to explore what went well and what could be improved for the next interview. Feedback was also sought at the end of each interview and suggested changes were implemented where appropriate. Reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke 2008) was used to analyse the data. As intended by the authors, the steps outlined by Braun and Clarke (2008) were utilised as an intuitive and evolving guide, more so than a static map (Braun, Clarke, and Hayfield 2022). Transcripts were first coded in their entirety, followed by a second coding of transcripts from question to question. The researchers engaged in a reflexive process throughout this study to further investigate and report on the researchers’ positionality and identify potential bias. All three researchers are qualified post-primary school teachers and hence have experience within the context. One of the researchers held a leadership position in school.
Expected Outcomes
Results indicated that participants in principle, largely agreed upon the value of distributed leadership practices and were either actively implementing the model or trying to implement it within their schools. Building positive relationships was deemed integral to the success of the schools in question and participants noted the shared vision of building leadership capacity among the school community. School structures, including both internal and external influences to these structures, were reported to influence the distribution of leadership. Accountability, including the ultimate accountability of senior leaders, and the pressure of inspections were reported to influence school leaders’ attitudes towards their work. Lastly, the complexity of school leaders’ and teachers’ roles and identities were described as influential to the distribution of leadership practices. This study is of significant importance as it provides an overview of the lived experiences of senior school leaders regarding distributed leadership practices as set out by Irish policy. Findings indicate value in reconceptualising the structure of distributed leadership within the Irish post-primary school context, particularly that of middle leadership. This study is also important at an international level as it describes the challenges and benefits as currently faced by school leaders in implementing distributed leadership which may resonate with other contexts. In order for distributed leadership to be effectively implemented, the results of this study outline the need to focus on building positive relationships, to focus on building school personnel’s identity as leaders, and to reimagine the ultimate accountability of school leaders and the role of inspections. This could potentially lead to a more authentic engagement with distributed leadership which could aid school communities to realise its full potential.
References
Barrett, Alphie. 2018. "Leadership and Management in Post-pimary Schools." In, edited by Department of Education and Skills, 1-30. Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. 2008. "Using thematic analysis in psychology." Qualitative research in psychology 3 (2):77-101. Braun, Virginia, Victoria Clarke, and Nikki Hayfield. 2022. "‘A starting point for your journey, not a map’: Nikki Hayfield in conversation with Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke about thematic analysis." Qualitative research in psychology 19 (2):424-45. Department of Education. 2022. "Looking at Our School 2022: A Quality Framework for Post-Primary Schools." In, edited by Department of Education. Dublin: Stationery Office. Hartley, David. 2010. "Paradigms: How far does research in distributed leadership ‘stretch’?" Educational Management Administration & Leadership 38 (3):271-85. Mayrowetz, David. 2008. "Making sense of distributed leadership: Exploring the multiple usages of the concept in the field." Educational Administration Quarterly 44 (3):424-35. Spillane, James P. 2005. Distributed leadership. Paper presented at the The Educational Forum.
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