Session Information
26 SES 03 A, School Leadership Training Programs for School Leaders’ Professional Development
Symposium
Contribution
According to a new review of leadership training programs for school leaders, coaching has become one of the tools used in leadership development programs for school leaders (Aas, Andersen et al. 2021). Studies reporting on the benefits of coaching used for professional development and for developing leadership performance are growing (Bush 2009, Forde, McMahon et al. 2013, Goff, Guthrie et al. 2014). Even though researchers recognize and highlight the necessity and importance of working in and with groups in professional development, few group-coaching models have been developed, and there is little research in the field (Aas, 2016; Aas, 2020). In studies of group coaching, there seems to be agreement on several effects, including understanding and self-regulation for acceptable group behaviour, better listening and communication skills, clarification of strengths and values and improved understanding of the organisation as a whole (Brown & Grant, 2010). In many countries, coaching is part of national school leadership programs (Lumby, Crow et al., 2008; Robertson & Earl, 2014). This paper reports from a study of group coaching integrated into the National Principal Training Programme in Norway, which aims to promote reflections on the personal agency (role clarity and self-efficacy) that can lead to changes in leadership performance (Aas & Fluckiger, 2016). We set out to investigate the group coaching protocol, which starts with a coaching question that is reformulated during the group coaching session (Flückiger, Aas et al. 2017) and ends in a leadership action the leaders will try out after the coaching session. The research question is: What happens when are school leaders participating in group coaching in a leadership training program try out new leadership actions after the coaching session? Inspired by action research (Carr & Kemmis, 1986), we followed 84 students and 16 group coaches from two different universities in 2021 and 2022. First, in analyzing the students' planned leadership actions, the findings show that developing leadership skills to improve relationships and collaboration with teachers was the main challenge. Next, the findings indicate that group coaching contributes to the professional development of the school leaders who participated and that the learning was further developed by testing concrete leadership actions in their school context. Finally, the study demonstrates how action research where university teachers explore aspects of their teaching, in this case, group coaching, can contribute to the further development of leadership programs for school leaders.
References
Goff, P. et al. (2014). Changing principals’ leadership through feedback and coaching. Journal of Educational Administration 52(5), 682-704. Lumby, J., et al. (2008). International Handbook on the Preparation and Development of School Leaders. New York, Taylor and Francis. Robertson, J. and L. M. Earl (2014). Leadership learning: Aspiring principals developing the dispositions that count. Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice 29(2), 3-17. Aas, M. (2016). Bli en bedre skoleleder. Gruppecoaching som verktøy. Universitetsforlaget. Aas, M. (2020). Ledercoachning och gruppecoachning som verktyg i ledares profesionella utveckling. Perspektiv på handledning. In U. Leo and E. Amundsdotter. Malmö, Gleerups Utbildning AB: 143-163. Aas, M., et al. (2021). Forskning på den nasjonale skolelederutdanningen. Delrapport 1, Oslo Metropolitan University. Aas, M. and B. Fluckiger (2016). The role of a group coach in the professional learning of school leaders. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice 9(1), 38-52.
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