Session Information
SES G 01, Paper Session
Paper Session
Contribution
Educational research has shown that the figure of the principal is central to educational performance in every school (Antunez, 2000, Antunez and Gairin, 2000, Guzman, Navarro and Guerrero, 2008). A principal committed to his role and properly trained can truly make a difference in the educational results of his or her school. In Mexico, teachers interested in becoming school principals first compete to become vice-principals, and later, to become principals. The contest consists in toting up the score obtained by satisfying various requirements for promotion. These factors are: knowledge, seniority, aptitude, discipline, punctuality, and union activity (Murillo, 2005, SEP, 2004). One of the conditions for participating in this competition is to have held the lower position for a minimum of six months. The commission that decides the granting of positions is composed of both education authorities and union representatives. While the knowledge or the training received constitutes one rung of the ladder, it is interesting to note that in Mexico, no specific training is required for the role of principal. That is, to participate in the contest, a master's degree in any specific discipline has the same value as a master’s degree in school administration or the accumulation of certificates for courses of various kinds. Therefore, obtaining the position is associated with obtaining the score necessary to compete, rather than with training for the role. The fact that principals and vice-principals are not specifically educated for meeting their responsibilities means that the candidate who wins the contest has to learn what his or her function implies in some manner other than training for the position. This project is a case study that aims to find out how one learns to be a junior high school principal in Mexico, specifically in the northern state of Baja California. The research questions are, “How then, do principals learn their function? What does it mean to assume their position without being clear about their administrative responsibilities? How is their position legitimized before the school community to which they are assigned as principals? What recommendations should be made to future principals to avoid their attaining this position without the necessary knowledge?” To answer these questions, a group composed of acting principals and vice-principals was studied.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Antunez, S. (2000a). Clave para la organización de centros escolares. Barcelona: Universidad de Barcelona. Antunez, S. (2000b). La acción directiva en las instituciones escolares: análisis y propuesta. Barcelona: Horsori. Antunez, S. y Gairin, J. (2000). La acción directiva. En: La organización escolar. Práctica y fundamentos. (pp. 235-247). Barcelona: Graó. Guzmán, M., Navarro, M. y Guerrero, F. (2008). La promoción al puesto directivo: análisis del discurso de legitimación de directivos de escuelas de educación básica en el estado de Durango. Revista de Investigación Educativa, 8: 14-24. Merriam, S.B. (1988). Case study research in education. A qualitative approach. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Murillo, J. (2005). Una panorámica de la carrera docente en Latinoamérica. Sistemas de reconocimiento y promoción del desempeño profesional. Revista Proyecto Regional de Educación para América Latina y el Caribe, 1 : 52-58 Periódico Oficial de la Federación (10 de agosto de 1990). Reglamento interno de la H. Comisión Estatal Mixta de escalafón para los trabajadores de la Secretaria de Educación y Bienestar Social. SEP. (2004). Renovar nuestra escuela. Renovación Pedagógica y organizativa de las escuelas públicas de educación secundaria. México: Autor. Strauss, A. y Corbin, J. (2002). Bases de investigación cualitativa. Técnicas y procedimientos para desarrollar la teoría fundamentada. Antioquia: Contus.
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