Session Information
01 SES 06 C, Research Perspectives on Leadership (Part 2)
Paper Session continued from 01 SES 04 B
Contribution
Change in any school system is inevitable, and although change has the potential to improve learning contexts, one of the biggest challenges with change is the realistic assessment of the constraints and obstacles that come with it (Levin, 2008).
When evaluating the impact of change Byrk et al (2015) maintain that it is necessary to “see the whole system” and to consider multiple possible solutions to the issues that result from change. One way to do this, is to use a design-based approach to inquiry that identifies the core issues brought about by change, followed by the generation of a theory of action and strategies that respond directly to these issues (Childress & Marietta, 2017).This research study uses such an approach to explore teachers’ experiences of systemic change following the expansion of an international school environment.
The school involved is an International Baccalaureate school, situated in the Netherlands. In recent years, the school experienced expansion, across all areas of the school, from the Primary Years Programme all the way through to the Diploma Programme level.This expansion brought with it additional buildings, an increase in student numbers, additional classes and course offerings, the restructuring of teaching schedules, and a reduction in outdoor play areas for students.
The objective of this study is to explore teachers' perceptions of any issues that may have arise from the expansion, to consider their perceptions of the root causes of any issues that may have arisen, to consider how the context would be different if issues were addressed, and to identify preliminary courses of acton that could address these issues.
Method
A design-based approach was used to uncover teachers’ perceptions of the impact of change brought about by the expansion. The study involved following the steps of the design cycle which typically begins with the identification of the problem, an analysis of the problem and the diagnosis of its causes, the development of a theory of action, the design of a strategy to address the issues, the implementation of the strategy, assessment of progress, and the adaption and modification of the design as needed (Childress & Marietta, 2017). This research study focusses on the first three steps of the cycle, with the aim being to identify any issues resulting from the expansion, the consideration of potential causes, an imagination of the context without these issues, and the generation of possible solutions. The solutions and theory of action steps are not addressed in this paper. Eight respondents (T1-T8) participated in semi-structured interviews. The respondents were all experienced international school teachers, four females and four males, who came from different countries, and who taught a range of disciplines across multiple year levels within the Upper School. Purposive sampling was used in order to solicit a range of perspectives, yet perspectives that were informed. In an international school environment teacher turnover is dynamic, so it was important to solicit the perspectives of those who had been in this school context before, during, and after the expansion. The respondents were invited to respond to the following questions: 1) What are the main issues (if any) in the school following the expansion? 2) What are the root causes of these issues? 3) How would the context be different if the issues were resolved? Following the data gathering stage, the interview transcripts were coded, categories were generated, and these were then assembled into themes and sub-themes (Braun & Clarke, 2006).
Expected Outcomes
In summary, some of the main issues identified by the teachers, following the expansion, were fatigue and stress due to a perceived increase in workloads, a sense of collective disempowerment, concerns about student learning, and the perceived emergence of a negative school climate. The issues identified have been associated, elsewhere, with a decrease in teacher motivation (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2018). The root causes of the issues, identified by the teachers, were top-down approaches to the leadership of change, perceived inadequacies in strategic planning on the part of the leadership team, and a perceived lack of systems-thinking on the part of school leaders before, during, and after the expansion. The impact of distinct leadership approaches on the outcomes of system-wide change is an evolving area of research (Burns, 2017). Addressing the root cause (a perceived lack of informed leadership) would, in the teachers’ opinion, lead to increased teacher and student wellbeing, better quality teaching and learning, and a more positive school environment. Specifics identified by the teachers as necessary, in the mitigation of the ongoing effects of organizational change, included leadership training for middle and senior leaders, the introduction of transparent communication pathways, avenues to address workloads and wellbeing, relationship-building practices, the fostering of trust, and the reestablishment of community. Overall, the themes resulting from the teachers' perceptions of change, indicated that the expansion had brought with it an array of unexpected outcomes. From the teachers' perspectives, the careful selection of leaders, and the advance preparation of school leaders to manage and respond to the complexity of change, may have mitigated several of the unintended outcomes that were identified as issues. Further study, in this context, could involve the interviewing of a broader collective of teachers, students, members of the leadership team, and additional members of the school community.
References
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology. 3(2), pp. 77-101. Bryk, A., Gomez, M., LeMahieu, P. (2015) See the System That Produces the Current Outcomes. In Learning to Improve: How America's Schools Can Get Better at Getting Better. Harvard Education Press. Cambridge. Burns, W. (2017). A descriptive literature review of harmful leadership styles: Definitions, commonalities, measurements, negative impacts, and ways to improve these harmful leadership styles. Creighton Journal of Interdisciplinary Leadership. 3(1), pp. 33–52. Childress, S. & Marietta, G. (2017) A Problem-Solving Approach to Designing and Implementing a Strategy to Improve Performance. Harvard Education Press. Cambridge. Levin, B. (2008) Why Improving Schools is So Hard to Do. In How to Change 5000 Schools: A Practical and Positive Approach for Leading Change at Every Level. Harvard Education Press. Cambridge. Skaalvik, E., & Skaalvik, S. (2018) Job demands and job resources as predictors of teacher motivation and well-being. Social Psychology of Education. 21, pp. 1251–1275
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