While it is becoming increasingly accepted that school leadership in

227 Pages·2006·1.25 MB·English

by  Barry Brooker

Stakeholders’ Meanings
of Effective School Leadership:
A Case Study
in a New Zealand Primary School

Barry N. Brooker
M.A.(Hons), Dip.Tchg.

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Education

August, 2005

School of Cognition, Language and Special Education
Faculty of Education
Griffith University
Abstract

Guided by the theoretical underpinnings of symbolic interactionism, this study set
out to describe and analyse how stakeholders in a New Zealand Primary School
understand effective school leadership, and how their meanings of leadership are
influenced by the context in which they work. Review of the school leadership
literature indicated that there was widespread agreement on the importance of
leadership for school effectiveness but limited empirical data on how, or why, this
was the case.

To gain an understanding of stakeholders’ meanings of effective leadership the study
adopted a qualitative, case study design. Purposive, criterion-based selection was
used to select a school considered to have highly effective leadership practices and to
identify a cross-section of stakeholders within that school. The participants were the
principal, Board of Trustees chairperson, assistant principal, teacher, general staff
member, and student. Data were gathered from concept maps, semi-structured
interviews and selected school documents such as the school’s Education Review
Office report and staff job descriptions. Data were analysed using grounded theory
methods of analysis, specifically the use of constant comparison through open and
axial coding.

The findings of the study are presented and examined in terms of three theoretical
propositions that encapsulate the stakeholders’ meanings of effective school
leadership. The first proposition examines three core values – concern for the
individual, a commitment to learning, and an expectation of high performance – that
permeated the school and influenced stakeholders’ meanings and leadership
practices. The second proposition examines the provision of direction, which
involved articulation of a strong vision, use of symbols and ceremonies, modelling
valued practices and beliefs, and raising the aspirations of staff and students. The
third proposition examines leading and managing processes, which included the
development of a team structure, leading and managing staff appointments and non-
performance, managing communications, meetings and time, and providing
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opportunities for decision-making and leadership. Although considered in separate
chapters, the three theoretical propositions are inter-related.

The findings from this study highlight the importance of a set of core, common
values for school leadership, confirm the role that leaders play in providing direction
through a variety of symbolic activities, re-emphasise the need for studies of
leadership to consider the context specific and people-based aspects of leadership,
and confirm the place of teams in achieving a school’s goals and reinforcing its
values. The findings of the study also identify a need for team learning and
development, and for a greater focus on values and beliefs in development
programmes for principals. In addition, from both a theoretical and practical
perspective, the findings establish a need for further research into the conception and
practice of distributed leadership, and indicate that principals continue to play a
central leadership role in self-managing, primary schools. The study’s findings, thus,
add to an at present limited base of empirical data on school leadership, and provide
an insight into the perspectives of those involved in the leadership processes.

Although the study’s findings are based on a single school, in a particular context,
the research design and methodology, including use of theoretical propositions,
means the findings and conclusions generated from the study are pertinent to
leadership theory, leadership research and leadership policy and practice in various
contexts. The findings of this study are therefore likely to be of use to researchers of
educational leadership, school principals, other school leaders, educational policy
makers, and those designing and implementing professional learning programmes for
principals and other school leaders.
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Statement Of Originality

This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university.
To the best of my knowledge and belief, the dissertation contains no material previously
published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the
dissertation itself.

Signed

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Acknowledgements

I dedicate this dissertation to my parents, who received minimal formal education
themselves, but instilled in me the importance of education and encouraged me in my
pursuits.

I wish to acknowledge Professor Neil Dempster for his supervision and for his
encouragement of the Christchurch College of Education, EdD cohort. I wish to
especially thank Dr Simon Clark, my second supervisor, for his prompt responses to
my enquiries and his insightful comments and suggestions.

I also wish to acknowledge the Christchurch EdD cohort for their personal and
academic support, particularly Dr Maureen Doherty for ensuring we regularly met
together and supported each other as we undertook our study. I also wish to
acknowledge the support of Christchurch College of Education for providing the
study leave that made completion of my dissertation possible, and Dr Ian Hall,
principal for most of my study period, for his regular encouragement. A particular
thanks goes to Rex Johnstone, whose on-going support and able leadership of the
School of Primary Teacher Education in my absence, enabled me to focus on my
dissertation at critical times. Thanks also to Ali Mitchell, my P.A., for her support
and practical help and Mary Lewis for her accurate transcriptions.

Thanks to Sarah and Michael, for putting up with their Dad being frequently
engrossed in his dissertation.

Finally, I wish to especially thank the participants in this study for giving up their
time and willingly and openly sharing their thoughts on effective primary school
leadership.

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CONTENTS

ABSTRACT I
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY III
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IV
CONTENTS V
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES XII
LIST OF APPENDICES XIII
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1
Chapter Overview 2
New Zealand School Management and Governance 3
Purpose and Focus of the Study 5
Significance of the Study 7
Research Design and Methodology 10
Organisation of the Dissertation 12

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 13
Introduction 13
Chapter Overview 14
The Nature of Leadership 14
The Changing Focus of Educational Leadership Research 16
Leadership and Management 18
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Transactional and Transformational Leadership 19
Leadership as a Complex Social Process 21
Dimensions of Leadership 22
Structural Dimension 24
Educational Dimension 24
Moral Leadership 25
Instructional Leadership 26
Human Dimension 28
People as Individuals 28
The Place of Emotions 29
Participation in Decision-Making 29
Professional Development 30
Symbolic Dimension 30
Political Dimension 32
Power Sharing and Decision Making 34
Post-Transformational, Distributed Leadership 36
Studying leadership in context 39
Conclusion 40

CHAPTER 3 METHODS 41
Introduction 41
Chapter Overview 42
Symbolic Interactionism 42
The Central Research Question 43
Study of a Single Case 44
Selection of the School and Participants 46
Data Gathering 49
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Concept Maps 49
Concept Mapping Procedures Used in this Study 50
Interviews 51
Semi-structured Interviews 52
Semi-structured Interview Procedures Used in this Study 53
Document Analysis 54
Overview 55
Data Analysis 55
Analysis of Concept Maps 55
Grounded Theory Methods of Data Analysis 56
Memos and Diagramming 56
Open Coding 57
Analysis Grids 59
Axial Coding 59
Emergence of Three Theoretical Propositions 61
Summary 62
Trustworthiness 63
Transferability 64
Ethical Considerations 64
Conclusion 65

CHAPTER 4 THE CONTEXT AND PARTICIPANTS 67
Introduction 67
Chapter Overview 68
Recent Global Influences on New Zealand’s Education System 68
Background 68
The ‘New Right’, Market Ideology 69
Devolution in New Zealand 69
Curriculum and Assessment 70
Parental Choice and Participation, and Competition 71
Teacher Workloads 72
In summary 72
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The Current New Zealand Education System 73
The School and Community 74
Students, staff and facilities 75
Syndicate and Management Structure 77
Participants in the Study 78
The Principal: Mary 78
Assistant Principal: Shona 80
Teacher: Dave 81
General Staff Member: Pam 82
Board of Trustees: Jane, Chairperson and Other Member 82
Student: Philip 83
Conclusion 84

CHAPTER 5 ESTABLISHING CORE VALUES 85
Introduction 85
Chapter Overview 87
Concern for Others 87
A Focus on People as Individuals 87
Valuing Others and Being Part of a Team 89
Open-door Policy 89
Providing Care and Support 91
In conclusion 92
A Commitment to Learning 92
Commitment to Children’s Learning 93
Providing a balanced curriculum with a focus on literacy and numeracy 95
Commitment to Teachers’ Learning 96
Principal’s learning 97
An Expectation of High Performance 99
Conclusion: Leadership as Values Driven 101
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CHAPTER 6 PROVISION OF DIRECTION 103
Introduction 103
Chapter Overview 105
Symbols, Culture and Vision 105
Articulating the Vision 106
Symbols and Ceremonies 108
Modelling Valued Beliefs and Practices 110
Demonstrate Attributes Expected of a Leader 111
Seeing the Big Picture 111
Demonstrate Self-Confidence 112
Demonstrate Knowledge and Expertise 113
Demonstrate Interpersonal skills 114
Demonstrate Integrity 115
Providing Inspiration 117
Attribution of Leadership Status 119
Conclusion 120

CHAPTER 7 LEADING AND MANAGING PROCESSES 123
Introduction 123
Chapter Overview 125
Leadership and Management 125
Developing Leadership and Management Structures 126
Key Individuals and Groups 126
The Principal 126
Assistant Principal (AP) 127
Special Needs Coordinator 127
Management Team 128
Board of Trustees (BOT) 128
Developing a Team Structure 129
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