A feel for the game – a Bourdieuian analysis of principal leadership: a study of Queensland secondary school principals

Addison, Bruce

doi:10.1080/00220620903211554

Cited by 14 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…(Interview #3,p. 14) This observation accords with a recent study of principals which found that many thought they were not adequately prepared for the chief executive function of their roles prior to appointment (Addison, 2007).…”

Section: Stakeholder Relationssupporting

confidence: 73%

“…A case study would provide rich data on all aspects of governance by a School Council, including social and cultural practices, and offered an opportunity to get inside the 'black box' of a School Council and obtain detailed insights of the participants' experiences in governing an independent school through observational, interview and documentary data. A qualitative research method also allows the participants to construct a range of reasoned or considered opinions on the many complex and interrelating issues associated with governance in a dynamic environment (Addison, 2007). The participants' experiences can be considered by readers in the context of their own experiences, thereby facilitating meaning making for the reader (Stake, 1978;Hoepfl, 2005).…”

Section: Research Methodologies For Educational Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As observed by Addison (2007) in the context of independent school Principals, Their worldview is one in which contemporary compliance standards and corporate governance, in addition to issues generated by the economic field such as risk management and enterprise bargaining, ensure that much of their time is associated with a variety of issues very much removed from the field of schools. (p. 241)…”

Section: Stakeholder Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the Chief Executive Officer, he was responsible for a multi-million dollar business, requiring a focus on strategy, infrastructure, risk management, forward enrolments and resource management; matters removed from the field of schools. Contemporary school leadership, while grounded in the field of school education, is responding to increasing demands from the field of government and the field of the economy (Addison, 2007).…”

Section: Stakeholder Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of recent research studies have identified the increasingly complex, intensified and multidimensional nature of contemporary Principal practice (Gronn, 2003;Cranston et al, 2003;PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2007;Addison, 2007). As observed by Addison (2007) in the context of independent school Principals, Their worldview is one in which contemporary compliance standards and corporate governance, in addition to issues generated by the economic field such as risk management and enterprise bargaining, ensure that much of their time is associated with a variety of issues very much removed from the field of schools.…”

Section: Stakeholder Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The complexities and tensions of school governance: a case study of the governing body of an Australian independent school

Pitkin¹

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This research presents and explains the role and work of the governing body of an Australian independent school and explores the complex and dynamic interplay of factors that influence the educational and governance practices of the School Council. My experience as a member of a governing body of an independent school led me to investigate the world of independent school governance. A review of the literature on corporate governance, nonprofit governance and school governance provided insights into the theoretical underpinnings of governance models; however, these were revealed as one-dimensional and inadequate to explain the complex and dynamic governance environment of an independent school. The majority of the literature was founded in normative prescriptions for governance, with little support from empirical investigation and a paucity of empirical research on governance in the independent school sector was noted. The literature also revealed the growing influence of corporate governance 'best practice' models and principles on nonprofit organizations and schools. The conventional governance literature therefore offered few tools with which to study governance in an independent school, and required investigation beyond the governance literature to identify an appropriate theoretical approach as a framework in which to interpret, structure and present research findings from a case study research method. Bourdieu's sociologically based thinking tools of habitus, capitals and field, together with the complementary conception of organizational culture of Schein, were selected to illuminate and explain the different facets of the complex integrated social processes of governance of an independent school by its governing body. The case study research method facilitated access to rich data, through twelve months of observations at School Council meetings, interviews and documents, on all aspects of the governing of a large, well established, metropolitan, independent school by its School Council, including cultural and social practices. An auxiliary qualitative research method, in the form of interviews with members of governing boards of 'like' independent schools, assisted to frame the themes that emerged from the data sets and placed the case study school in the context of these schools.The major findings of this case study are organized into five themes; namely the specificities of educational governance, accountabilities, culture, school ownership and gender. Governance in a school context presents unique challenges, including the complexity of stakeholder management, the presence of stakeholders as members of the governing body, and the relationship between the governing body and the school Head. That relationship is undergoing significant evolution in response Council. These tensions were replicated in the interfaces between the Church, as the owner of the School, and the School Council, as the governing body. The Chairman also had a critical role in navigating these interfaces. The findings reflecte...

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Section: Stakeholder Relationssupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Research Methodologies For Educational Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Stakeholder Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Stakeholder Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Stakeholder Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The complexities and tensions of school governance: a case study of the governing body of an Australian independent school

Pitkin¹

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Advancing the Intellectual Development of the Field

Gunter

2017

Educational Leadership Theory

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Cultures of Educational Leadership

Torrance

Fuller²,

McNae³

et al. 2017

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While the need for leadership is perhaps universal across cultures, the practice of leadership is generally believed to be culturally situated. Different views exist in the leadership literature regarding the extent to which specific leader behaviours are transferable across cultures, leading some researchers to suggest that effective management and leadership processes should normally take account of the cultural and other contexts (Ayman 1993). Linked to this is an assumption that unique cultural features, for example, language, beliefs, values, religion and social organisation, demand that different leadership approaches are taken in different nations (Dorfman et al. 1997). Increasingly however, there has been a rise in recent research on educational leadership that includes a crosscultural element, acknowledging that in addition to culture-specific tendencies, there may be more universal or broadbased approaches to understanding and practising leadership.

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A feel for the game – a Bourdieuian analysis of principal leadership: a study of Queensland secondary school principals

Cited by 14 publications

References 4 publications

The complexities and tensions of school governance: a case study of the governing body of an Australian independent school

The complexities and tensions of school governance: a case study of the governing body of an Australian independent school

Advancing the Intellectual Development of the Field

Cultures of Educational Leadership

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