Considering the future

Schools in the future are required to be strong professional learning communities where leaders’ learning is embedded within the school culture. Professional development is imperative in educational reform and instructional improvement (Leithwood, et al., 2006). For professional development to have a prolonged effect ,“it must be sustained, on-going, intensive and supported by modelling, coaching and the collective solving of specific problems of practice” (Elmore & Burney, 1999, p. 263).

The findings in this research focus on New Zealand principals, and aim to reaffirm Thew’s findings that the tensions are multi- faceted; that professional learning needs to be broad-based and funded adequately, (Thew, 2002). Meeting individual needs and Boards of Trustees recognising principals’ need for time to learn are some of the themes to be explored. Weindling and Dimmock (2006) remind us that this is not just a New Zealand problem: internationally, principals deserve better training and support to develop networks and learning opportunities that consider principals’ individualised contexts.

3.6 Conclusion

It is recognised there is no one style of leadership and no one way of leading. Nonetheless,

‘principals have to have a say in what is done to them,’ was the tenet put to principals when Stewart described how he felt school leaders best learn (Stewart, 2004). This is confirmed in the National College’s report on current school leadership (NCSL, 2009, p. 106):

Page | 113 We believe that school leaders themselves should lead the way in developing

school leaders and school leadership. They should develop local approaches that address the specific challenges of their local context.

This chapter has identified there are a recognised repertoire of identifiable basic leadership skills principals need. Successful leadership practices are recognisable across all types of schools. Principals who collaborate, adapt, explain, synthesise, model, personalise and localise are deemed more effective (NCSL, 2009). The learning that principals participate in, that supports successful practice, is not so clear.

Converging themes from the literature form the basis of this doctoral research. Meaningful pre- principalship learning requires both formal learning based on sound educational theory and informal learning to provide in-context leadership experience. Working with peers and mentors results in positive learning outcomes.

Learning at an early career stage, if it is to be meaningful, has to have an emphasis on real life/school problem solving using mentoring and group learning. Deputy Principals and senior leadership staff are ideally placed to move into principalship if their leadership is nurtured and developed. Learning at all career stages is deemed meaningful when it is contextually based and focussed on school

improvement. The gaps in the literature addressed in the findings of this research are about optimising learning with consideration of context, adequate time for learning, and the influence of experience in the role. As well, to ensure future sustainability of new leaders there is a need to develop school based succession plans.

Elements of challenge, developing and motivation of experienced career-stage principals are recurrent themes. After ten years, principals have been described throughout the literature, as moving into an era of disillusionment. In this phase, principals are more likely to be motivated with a focus on strategic school-wide improvement.

Page | 114 What has been generalised is that principals are self-motivated and persistent learners who require a multi-faceted approach that considers prior learning. Up until the 1990s, outside of the United States, there was very little evidence of the need to train educational leaders. It is now accepted that on-going leadership pre- and in-service professional learning is important.

The contradictions in the literature relates to principalship skills, dispositions and knowledge assessment, and to the learning needs of principals at various stages of their career. There is some endorsement for standards. Equally, there is growing recognition of the need for the school leader to be focussed on pedagogical improvement. There is variable opinion as to whether principal learning should be from a common source or from diverse sources.

A review of the relevant literature has identified a number of important gaps:

x Stroud (2006) reports there is a ‘dearth of literature’ relating to the professional learning of experienced principals

x Preparation programmes are not adequately preparing teachers to be principals who are capable of facing the challenges that will be required of them (Day, 2003) x Learning needs to be part of a coherent framework that is also focussed on making

the job do-able (Caldwell, et al., 2003; Huber, 2004)

x There is a paucity of studies relating to mentoring for mid-career and experienced leaders and yet mentoring and reflective practices are both valued as meaningful for early-career principals (Smith, 2007)

x The influence of learning on principals’ actions requires more in-depth research (Blandford & Squire, 2000)

x There are still many principals learning the role on the job. Some are saying this is not enough in today’s leadership climate where accountability stakes are so high (Thew, 2002)

Page | 115 x Greater emphasis must be on understanding how to develop pedagogic leaders

(Robinson, et al., 2009)

These aspects of divergence are too many for this thesis. However, the underlying theme is the research focus: namely meaningful professional learning, how to learn, learning needs over time, opportunities to learn and the why of learning.

Educational research is about looking for patterns and constructing a comprehensive picture of the phenomenon to be studied (Hatch, 2002; Patton, 2002). It is evident from the literature that much of what school leaders do is implicit. They base what they do on what they think is right or they learn through practice. This doctoral research into urban principals’ professional learning in New Zealand, considers leadership beliefs and perceptions about what is implicit and what needs to be learned explicitly. The gaps and tensions in the literature are investigated through focus groups and individual interviews. The research desires to further understand how principals believe they best learn.

Furthering knowledge through principals’ voice makes a potential contribution to international literature.

Page | 116

The Professional Learning of Urban N.Z. Primary Principals

CHAPTER FOUR

Methodology

Outstanding leadership has invariably emerged as a key characteristic of outstanding

schools. There can no longer be doubt that those seeking quality in education must ensure its presence

and that the development of potential leaders must be given high priority.

(Beare, Caldwell, & Millikan, 1992, p. 99)

4.1 Introduction

This chapter describes the methods and justifies the researcher’s choice of methodology. The need to understand what and how a group of urban principals thinks and acts about principals’ learning directs the research to a qualitative case study design. Data analysed inductively are aimed at making sense of principals’ personal learning theories, to provide insight into school leaders’ professional learning experiences. The experiences are examined in light of the literature on professional and principals’ learning. It was not the intention of this qualitative case study to evaluate any particular method or programme chosen to learn; Macpherson’s work (Macpherson, 2008) has synthesised that well. The thesis, however, examines and interprets principals’

perceptions of learning that supports their self-efficacy and actual practices of learning.

This chapter begins by identifying the philosophical perspective for the research, its interpretivist approach, and naturalistic theory paradigm. Naturalism provides an interpretive method for

Page | 117 determining the multiple interpretations of reality held, by in this case, individuals and groups of principals.

A broad discussion on qualitative research issues follows. Then the relevance of case study design and the use of embedded case studies are argued. The methods section follows, outlining both the data gathering and analysis processes. In conclusion, dependability, trustworthiness and the ethical aspects of the research are described.