Journal of Professional Capital and Community最新文献

Purpose

The paper argues for the introduction of pedagogies of optimism (and implicitly of hope) in schools as a response to the danger of pessimism, skepticism and helplessness characterizing periods of armed conflicts.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual analysis.

Findings

Following an analysis of armed conflicts and their impact on educational systems, the critical contribution of pedagogies of optimism is illuminated. Teachers are encouraged to follow major phases in this kind of pedagogy, such as discovery, acceptance of the situation, imagination and critical thinking.

Originality/value

Practical suggestions are provided at the end of the paper.

Purpose

School leaders can significantly influence the conditions that affect teacher retention. Yet, leaders in rural and high-poverty schools often face limited opportunities to develop their abilities to enhance these conditions. In this case study, we examine how participating in a professional community supported school leaders' efforts to increase teacher retention and student learning outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

We used case study methodology to study 14 leaders from rural, high-poverty or underperforming schools with greater-than-average levels of teacher turnover. The leaders were participating in a three-year research-practice partnership intended to assist them in using improvement science to address problems of practice related to teacher retention and student learning outcomes in their schools. We collected and analyzed data from interviews, exit surveys, artifacts and participant observations over a one-year period.

Findings

Participating in this professional community helped the leaders create the conditions for increased teacher retention and student learning outcomes by providing them with opportunities to collaborate with their peers, receive leadership coaching, exchange ideas and learn in a safe space.

Originality/value

These findings confirm and extend extant school leadership development research. A particularly interesting finding was the role of the professional community in reducing the leaders' feelings of isolation while providing them a safe space to learn. The findings also illustrate how universities and school districts can partner to provide professional learning opportunities that enhance school leaders' professional knowledge, leadership practices and well-being.

Purpose

Despite the positive impact of professional learning communities (PLCs) in improving teaching practices, many teachers still struggle to effectively integrate information and communication technologies (ICTs) into their teaching and learning. Drawing from human capital theory and spillover effects, this paper examines how teachers PLCs can facilitate ICT integration.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a qualitative methodology, the researchers designed a phenomenological study. From semi-structured interviews, data were collected from 15 selected secondary school teachers from four selected secondary schools in Tanzania.

Findings

The study revealed that teachers use various strategies to enhance ICT integration in teaching practices, namely, community collaboration, practice-based approaches to ICT integration and the utilization of digital learning tools in instructional practices. Furthermore, the results showed several constraints on the ability of teachers’ PLCs to encourage ICT integration. These constraints were divided into three parts, i.e. major challenges at the macro, meso and micro levels.

Practical implications

The paper has the potential to inform policy and practice, particularly in the area of PLCs. Also, it helps to better understand the changing practices with ICTs through PLCs when there are insufficient resources for ICT integration.

Originality/value

To support teachers in using ICTs in their instructional practices, it is essential to build their capacities through PLCs to increase their confidence and competence in ICT integration.

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how two educational leaders are leading their school communities during a time of war in Ukraine.

Design/methodology/approach

Through the use of narratives, two of the co-authors of this paper explore the tensions and opportunities they have encountered, and continue to encounter, as educational leaders during a time of war in Ukraine. Particular emphasis is placed upon how the two co-authors are responding in contextually sensitive and productive ways to build a sense of safety and community in their schools.

Findings

The two narratives in this paper demonstrate both leaders displaying a proclivity for building and sustaining collaborative and networked practices to build a sense of safety, stability and belonging for all members of their respective school communities.

Originality/value

This paper offers international insights into school leadership, at all times but especially during the current state of war in Ukraine.

Purpose

In this reflective essay, the authors explore how thinking with the notions of implication and complicity may encourage or hinder efforts to engage teachers in problematizing victim-perpetrator binaries in conflict-affected societies.

Design/methodology/approach

This reflective essay draws on lessons learned from the authors’ long-time work with teachers in Cyprus and Israel. The authors suggest that the concept of implication provides a productive framework for thinking about teachers’ professional responsibilities in more complex and nuanced ways.

Findings

The reflections of the two authors highlight the challenges and possibilities of overcoming essentialist categories of “victims” and “perpetrators” in conflict-affected societies.

Originality/value

This essay shows the (im)possibilities of transforming the prevailing binaries in communities experiencing political conflict.

Purpose

In England, climate change and sustainability education (CCSE) is predominantly taught with a focus on knowledge in school geography and science. However, whole-school approaches to CCSE exist which encompasses curriculum, campus, community and culture. Drawing on conceptualisations of the ecological approach to teacher agency we explored the ways in which the leadership of a whole-school approach to CCSE was implemented across four case study schools.

Design/methodology/approach

Four case study schools were identified as having implemented CCSE across the areas of classroom, culture, campus and community, with opportunities to share good practice. During visits to each school, we completed a series of 15 interviews with teachers who had roles leading geography (n = 4) and science (n = 4) curricular; school leaders (n = 4) and sustainability coordinators (n = 3). We engaged with a range of school curricula and policy materials and toured each site.

Findings

At the heart of an effective approach to whole-school CCSE are leaders who create the conditions for teachers to achieve agency and enact curriculum making as a social practice. School leaders themselves are critical in ensuring the culture, professional norms and expectations are established and nurtured. Over time, teachers are able to identify and create spaces of agency in relation to CCSE which reach beyond their immediate communities.

Originality/value

This research brings together teacher agency, curriculum making and leadership practices to better understand why some schools achieve agentic cultures as part of whole-school CCSE.

Purpose

This study explores a program to transform rural schools in Kwara State, Western Nigeria, into community knowledge hubs by leveraging local networks and community-based workshops. It aims to demonstrate how local resources are utilized to enhance educational outcomes and community engagement in rural settings.

Design/methodology/approach

Employing a qualitative research methodology, the study analyzes the implementation of this program through interviews with 13 teachers and in-field participation, examining the perspective of local teachers.

Findings

The findings reveal that this program has significantly enriched community engagement with practical skills both for students and the adult population, fostering collaboration between community and schools. Local teachers, leveraging their rural networks and knowledge, have been central to mobilizing networks and integrating practical education that addresses community-specific issues.

Research limitations/implications

The critical role of participatory educational strategies is highlighted, designing interventions for the distinct needs of communities. It notes the variability in potential outcomes due to the self-designed networks by local teachers, suggesting a need for exploration into how these networks’ configurations are developed in different places.

Practical implications

This study advocates for the creation of comprehensive programs including all local stakeholders in developing a dedicated support community network. It emphasizes non-formal education to offer a variety of learning experiences, which may be more effective in fostering community-wide educational engagement.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the academic literature by highlighting the critical role of local networks in African rural education settings. It provides a novel perspective on how rural schools can serve as hubs for community development and lifelong learning for the whole community, extending beyond traditional educational outcomes only for students.

Purpose

Our study presents insights from an exploratory qualitative case study conducted in three primary and lower secondary schools in Denmark, a country renowned for its collaborative and egalitarian culture, to unravel the complexities of shared instructional leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

Interviews with principals, middle leaders, and teachers and document analysis were used to identify themes according to shared and instructional leadership perspectives.

Findings

The study yielded three major findings. First, Danish principals structure schools to prioritize student learning outcomes and distribute responsibility to middle leaders and teachers. Second, reflection among teachers and leaders better prepares them for future demands and obligations. Third, collaboration underpins principals’ vision of reflection and professional development.

Practical implications

The research team’s reflection on the data collected can be used to build future strategies to address unpredictable student learning progression and poor-performing teachers.

Originality/value

Together, these findings contribute to the broader understanding of shared instructional leadership and demonstrate how principals face external pressure for accountability and how egalitarian culture influences principals’ practices.

Purpose

The efficiency of an educational program on entrepreneurial competence, Training the Potential Entrepreneur. Generation of an Educational Model for Entrepreneurial Identify (PEIEO) is evaluated in this study.

Design/methodology/approach

Pre and post intervention tests were administered to an Experimental Group (EG) and a Control Group (CG). Moreover, four hypotheses are proposed (H1, H2, H3, H4) and tested on a sample of 1036 Spanish students. The following instruments were applied: Attitude Towards Entrepreneurship-Spanish adaption; Measurement Scale of Personal Initiative in Educational Settings and Scale of General Self-Efficacy. ANCOVA and the Student's t-test were applied to the results.

Findings

The results show that training in entrepreneurial identity increases the entrepreneurial potential of young people (H1). A notable increase in proactivity and being a self-starter was observed with regard to personal initiative within the EG, and for self-efficacy (H3) both of which were predictors of entrepreneurial identity. Gender was likewise a predictor (H4).

Practical implications

Young people attending the PElEO training program in entrepreneurial potential increased their levels of entrepreneurial identity, thereby confirming the effectiveness of the program.

Originality/value

The program (PEIEO) is based on the development of entrepreneurial potential, a dimension that generates entrepreneurial identity (creativity, leadership, achievement and personal control).

Purpose

Research shows that there are mechanisms of information simplification that lead to the danger that first, laypeople rely on their own epistemological skills when assessing scientific claims. Second, laypeople underestimate their dependence on experts when they receive simplified information. This underestimation can be problematic because scientific knowledge, due to its complexity, usually cannot be fully understood without further advice from experts. Compared to laypersons, adult education practitioners can be expected to have a higher level of scientific literacy in relation to knowledge in their professional field because they are familiar with the structure of knowledge through their formal education. The present study examines whether the “easiness effect” also occurs in adult education practitioners when they read simplified and highly simplified texts about research findings.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consisted of 1.267 continuing education institutions. For the survey experiment, particioants were randomly assigned to tree text types at the end of the survey: easy, less scientific and scientific text. We used the difference-in-difference method to analyze the data.

Findings

The study examined whether easily presented research findings influenced self-assessment and reliance on experts. The results of our study support the hypothesis that the easiness effect is also present among professional practitioners.

Originality/value

The use of clear and nontechnical language is essential for ensuring that scientific knowledge is accessible and utilizable outside of academic circles. This aspect gains particular significance in educational research, as it enables professional practitioners to comprehend and ideally implement, research findings in their daily routines to address and resolve real-world challenges in their educational environments. Previous studies have demonstrated that the way text is presented influences laypeople's perceived reliance on experts. Building upon the conceptual framework of the easiness effect, this survey experiment took an additional step by focusing specifically on a targeted audience: professional practitioners in adult education.