How School Leaders Develop Teachers. A Research Project.
Author(s):
Cornelia Knoch (presenting / submitting)
Conference:
ECER 2013
Network:
01. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations
Format:
Poster

Session Information

01 SES 05.5 PS, General Poster Session

General Poster Session

Time:
2013-09-11
12:30-14:00
Room:
FUAYE
Chair:

Contribution

The poster indicates the initial situation of a research projects and gives an overview of the research questions, the research goals and methodological approach to this project which focuses on the current state of Personnel Development in schools in Canton Zurich, Switzerland. The main questions of the research are: What are school leaders doing exactly to support the development of the teachers? What kind of tasks do they perform? Do they work on the basis of a systematical approach e. g., a concept for Personnel Development?

The theoretical and practical approaches to Personnel Development varies. Depending on the scientific perspective (such as the economical, the pedagogical, the sociological, the psychological) different aspects of this subject are highlighted. Authors like Becker (see Becker, 2009) recommend for this reason an interdisciplinary approach on the basis of the social sciences. This gives a broad understanding of Personnel Development and offers a wide horizon for the practice and more opportunities for implementation. Besides a common “tenor” can be seen in most of the scientific literature about this issue (see Mentzel, 2001; Mudra, 2004): Personnel development in an organization should be based on a concept or at least on a systematic approach, so that it can “unfold” real effects and impacts on the whole organization and not “only” on a singular person or individual.

Looking inside the practice in an organization's personal, professional, political, financial factors and other internal and external impacts lead to different “designs” of Personnel Development. The determining factors are the responsible “actors” of Personnel Development in and outside an organization. They finally decide about the specific aspects which will be put into practice. This results in a range of implementations of this subject in the practice based on understandings from narrow to wide. Becker clusters this range in three kinds of “maturity grades”: 1) narrow e. g., including apprenticeship, further education, 2) enhanced e. g., starting with recruitment and ending with leaving the organization, 3) broad e. g., including team development and working on projects (see Becker, 2006).The same “phenomenon” of ranges can be seen in schools. Steger Vogt and Appius have come to the conclusion that “till now there isn’t any common understanding of Personnel Development” in schools (see the results of the data collection in the Canton St. Gallen in Steger Vogt, Appius, 2011).

Against this background the research wants to gather information about the current state of Personnel Development in selected schools: For this the project addresses school leaders as responsible “actors” for enabling development of the teaching staff and the school in general (see § 44, Volksschulgesetz, 2005). The information which will be gained is the basis for hypotheses about the state of Personnel Development in schools. These hypotheses shall help to generate further research questions for the understanding and implementation of Personnel Development in schools in the Canton Zurich and shall be used for the further development of the content and the design of a program for Personnel Development at the University of Teacher Education Zurich.

Method

The poster gives an insight into the initial situation of the research project. For these main research questions and research goals are identified as well as essential factors of the specific context which have led to initiate the project. Furthermore, the poster shows the current methodological approach: Qualitative Interviews were used to get an insight into the state of Personnel development in selected schools in Canton Zurich. The interviewed partners are school leaders. As mentioned in the beginning, the school leaders were responsible “for the promotion and coordination of professional development of the teaching staff” (see § 44, Volksschulgesetz, 2005). Currently being discussed is whether to subdivide the interview partners into three or four generation “prototypes” (see Bruch, Kunz, Böhm, 2010). This approach offers the possibility to indicate differences and similarities in the implementation of the subject Personnel Development in school between school leaders who are differing in age and generation. The information acquired as a result of this research project will be the basis for hypotheses concerning the range of understandings and implementations of Personnel Development in schools.

Expected Outcomes

As a main outcome the poster illuminates background information concerning the subject Personnel development in schools as well as understanding its implementation. It structures the complexity of the subject. In conclusion the poster fosters “awareness” for the research questions and the necessity itself to broaden finally the understanding of the specific “challenges” of this subject in schools. The poster highlights the purpose of the information attained through qualitative interviews within the framework of this research project (building up hypotheses) and summarizes further steps like following research questions. It identifies a possible range of hypotheses e. g., the maturity grades of Personnel Development in schools. In addition, it indicates the possibility of differentiated understandings and implementations of Personnel development through different generations of school leaders in the schools itself.

References

Personalentwicklung als Führungsaufgabe von Schulleitungen. Bericht zur Befragung der Schulleitungen Kanton St. Gallen, http://www.phsg.ch/Portaldata/1/Resources/forschung_und_entwicklung/schulentwicklung_und_beratung/Bericht_zum_Fragebogen_Schulleitung_2011_02_10.pdf, 13.6.2012, 10.49 Buhren, Claus; Hans-Günter, Rolff (2009): Personalmanagement in der Schule. Ein Handbuch für Schulleitung und Kollegium. Weinheim, Basel: Beltz Verlag. Becker, Manfred (2009): Personalentwicklung. Bildung, Förderung und Organisationsentwicklung in Theorie und Praxis. Stuttgart: Schäffer-Poeschel Verlag. Berthel, Jürgen; Becker, Fred (2010): Personal-Management. Grundzüge für Konzeptionen betrieblicher Personalarbeit. Stuttgart: Schäffer-Poeschel Verlag. Bruch, Heike; Kunze, Florian; Böhm, Stephan (2010): Generationen erfolgreich führen. Wiesbaden: Gabler Verlag. Mentzel, Wolfgang (2005): Personalentwicklung. Erfolgreich motivieren, fördern und weiterbilden. München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag. Mudra, Peter (2004): Personalentwicklung. Integrative Gestaltung betrieblicher Lern- und Veränderungsprozesse. München: Verlag Franz Vahlen. Zölch, Martina; Mücke, Anja; Graf, Anita; Schilling, Axel (2009): Fit für den demografischen Wandel? Ergebnisse, Instrumente, Ansätze guter Praxis. Bern, Stuttgart, Wien: Haupt Verlag.

Author Information

Cornelia Knoch (presenting / submitting)
University Of Teacher Education
Management & Leadership
Zurich

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