Research Question:

How Do New Zealand Teachers Perceive Decision-Making Under School-Based Management?

Theoretical Framework:

Because of the personal and individual nature of school-based decision-making an interpretivist approach was selected as the theoretical framework for this study. The basic assumption of the interpretivist framework lies in the view that there are multiple truths. Interpretivism seeks to understand and explain human and social reality, an understanding that is different for every individual person. According to Crotty (2005), “truth, or meaning, comes into existence in and out of our engagement with the realities in our world. In this understanding of knowledge, it is clear that different people may construct meaning in different ways, even in relation to the same phenomenon” and, they view their experiences through their own personal lenses, which will reveal truths that are unique to that individual.

Research Outline:

As New Zealand has experienced twenty years of school based management, useful insights have been gained regarding the way that teachers perceive school decision-making.

School based management has required principals and teachers to play an important role in determining the direction of education for their school communities and this has involved a change from the leadership being directive and control orientated towards an approach considered to be empowering and facilitative.

This address will discuss how teachers and senior leaders in one school district in New Zealand, perceived school leadership in terms of teachers’ involvement in school decision-making processes.

The relevance of this address lies in the importance of shared decision-making as a characteristic of school leadership and how in 2011 this has implications for principals and leadership preparation programmes.

Research on successful school decision-making highlights the important role of the principal and school leaders. However more broadly, research on successful school reform initiatives highlights the importance of decision-making processes being dispersed beyond the principal and other school management bodies to teachers.

European / International Dimension & Significance

The significance of the research in the European/international dimension relates closely to the International Successful School Principals Project (ISSPP) in schools across Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, England, Norway, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States of America. In particular identifying the criteria used to define successful leadership in each participating country.

 ISSPP research undertaken in New Zealand notes that relationships, connections and trust building were overwhelmingly key factors in successful schools.  The international ISSPP research thus far notes that collaboration and inclusivity are essential as well as a culture of care, rigour and trust.

My research findings show that that decision-making delegation being dispersed supports shared governance, develops trust and promotes a high degree of collaboration between teachers and school leaders.

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