Deconstructing autonomy: The case of principals in the North of Europe

Wermke, Wieland; Nordholm, Daniel; Anderson, Annika I; Kotavuopio-Olsson, Riitta

doi:10.1177/14749041221138626

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Autonomy can simultaneously be a source of stress in unfamiliar domains and a contributor to job satisfaction in areas of expertise (Cribb & Gewirtz, 2007; Wermke et al, 2022). This dichotomy suggests that a deeper understanding of autonomy is essential for comprehending its impact on turnover intentions and for enhancing the construct validity in research about school leadership (Wermke et al, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novice School Leaders’ Turnover Intentions: The Role of Working Conditions and Organizational Factors

Richard

2024

Educational Administration Quarterly

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Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationship between the psycho-social working conditions of novice school leaders and their turnover intentions, focusing on potential variations across public- and private schools and school levels. Research Methods: We invited all novice school leaders (n = 3,389) enrolled in the in-service Swedish Principal Training Program to participate in an extensive survey, with a 65% (n = 1,998) response rate. The survey investigated turnover intentions, working conditions, prerequisites, and organizational ambiguity. The collected survey data, in combination with official data, were analyzed using ANOVA's to identify differences across actors and school levels, and linear regressions to investigate factors explaining turnover intentions. Findings: The findings revealed higher turnover intentions among public school leaders compared to private school leaders. This was attributed to differences in prerequisites and organizational ambiguity. All novice school leaders exhibited similar patterns regarding factors strongly associated with turnover intention, despite actor and school level affiliation. Specific levels of demand, autonomy, and support combined, predicted turnover intentions among novice school leaders with notable accuracy. Implications for Research and Practice: The study has profound implications for stakeholders in the educational system striving to decrease novice school leader turnover. Providing adequate working conditions emerges as a key factor for nurturing and retaining school leaders from the novice pool, offering insights into strategies for managing leadership transition in schools.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novice School Leaders’ Turnover Intentions: The Role of Working Conditions and Organizational Factors

Richard

2024

Educational Administration Quarterly

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“…Furthermore, Wermke et al (2022) stated that school and leadership (principal) autonomy are often confused. Principal autonomy is essential to productive and healthy schools (Wermke et al, 2023), hence the National Professional Standards must distinguish between school autonomy and principal autonomy. Principal autonomy will undoubtedly support the successful inclusion of all children in general schools.…”

Section: Lack Of Autonomy For School Principalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Principals in Indian inclusive schools: bridge over troubled waters

Srinivasavarathan,

Rajendran

2023

AEDS

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PurposeThe international academic literature agrees that principals act as change agents and are vital in creating and promoting an inclusive school culture. In this article, the authors proclaim that Indian schools lack school leadership to accomplish inclusive education (IE) characterized by local needs. The article emphasizes the importance of school principals and discusses how principal vacancies, insufficient training and lack of autonomy jeopardize inclusive and equitable quality education in Indian schools. Contextualized policies, professional standards for principals, research that highlights principals' perspectives and autonomy for principals are required to strengthen principals, who are the primary advocates for IE, to create a more democratic, equitable and just society.Design/methodology/approachThe authors base their arguments and opinions on the latest National Education Policy (NEP, 2020), data/statistics from various educational organizations in India, and research findings of global scholars.FindingsThe data and statistics show that principals in Indian schools do not receive the essential assistance to implement IE successfully. A lack of adequate data regarding the subject of debate is another point made by the authors.Social implicationsUnderstanding the hardships faced by Indian school principals would help readers recognize the leadership challenges for IE in India. Addressing these challenges is one of the best ways to fulfill the equity and inclusion goals emphasized in UN Sustainable Development Goal #4.Originality/valueThis article is the first to emphasize the importance of prioritizing principals in Indian schools, among other agents when trying to achieve inclusion.

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