Dissipative Structures: New Metaphors for Becoming in Education

Sawada, Daiyo; Caley, Michael T.

doi:10.2307/1174574

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…Although classical mechanics models serve valuable purposes, many educational and leadership researchers now challenge the limitations of these same types of models applied universally in the social sciences, suggesting that human experience and interaction are oftentimes too complex to be measured predictively with any long-term certainty. They argue that nonlinear models like dissipative structures theory allow us to reinvestigate the successes and failures of a classical framework for leadership theory, discovering new correlations between irreversible systems and human interaction while reconciling the plurality of postmodernism, poststructuralism, deconstructionism, and interpretivism (Gemmill and Smith 1985, Sawada and Caley 1985, Doll 1986, 1987, 1993, Stacey 1992a, 1992b, Blair 1993, Smith and Comer 1994, Wheatley 1994, Fleener 1995, Nadler, Shaw and Walton 1995, Van Olffen and Romme 1995, Jenner 1998, Bass 1998, Macintosh and MacLean 1999, 2001, O'Sullivan 1999, Lichtenstein 2000, Pascale, Millemann and Gioja 2000, Fullan 2001). …”

Section: Dissipative Structures and The Human Worldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dissipative structures in educational change: Prigogine and the academy

Gilstrap

2007

International Journal of Leadership in Education

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This article is an interpretive study of the theory of irreversible and dissipative systems process transformation of Nobel Prize winning physicist Ilya Prigogine and how it relates to the phenomenological study of leadership and organizational change in educational settings. Background analysis on the works of Prigogine is included as a foundation for human inquiry and metaphor generation for open, dissipative systems in educational settings. International case study research by contemporary systems and leadership theorists on dissipative structures theory has also been included to form the interpretive framework for exploring alternative models of leadership theory in far from equilibrium educational settings. Interpretive analysis explores the metaphorical significance, connectedness, and inference of dissipative systems and helps further our knowledge of human-centered transformations in schools and colleges.

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Section: Dissipative Structures and The Human Worldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dissipative structures in educational change: Prigogine and the academy

Gilstrap

2007

International Journal of Leadership in Education

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“…That there is a growing body of literature applying complexity to management (Brodnick & Krafft, 1997;Rosenhead, 1998;Lissack, 1999;Gold, 2000;Stacey et al, 2000;Underwood, 2000;Stacey, 2001) and education (for instance, Sawada & Caley, 1985;Doll, 1986Doll, , 1989aDoll, ,b, 1997Doll, -8, 2002Iannone, 1995;Zhang & Fowler, 1996;Mintz & Yun, 1999;Bloom, 2000;Jorg, 2000Jorg, , 2001a is not surprising given its focus on evolving and changing systems, notions central to learning and teaching, as well as organisational change literature. These contexts are a particular focus of this article since they are disciplines in which action research has traditionally found a strong position.…”

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confidence: 99%

Complexity and action research: exploring the theoretical and methodological connections

Phelps

Hase

2002

Educational Action Research

103

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Complexity theory is essentially a formal attempt to question how coherent and purposive wholes emerge from the interactions of simple and sometimes non-purposive components. Explicit recognition of complexity can provide a fresh and enlightening perspective on action research. Through an expository discussion of the foundational postulates of complexity theory this article demonstrates the theoretical and methodological connections between complexity and action research, with particular emphasis on the relevance of complexity in educational and workplace contexts. Complexity is an emerging theoretical perspective, which presents possibilities for revolutionising approaches to action research, as well as strengthening arguments promoting the value of action research in a wide range of contexts. Complexity, it is argued, can provide a valuable theoretical underpinning for action research.Furthermore, action research provides a valid methodological approach to the study of complexity. This article is primarily theoretical and attempts to demonstrate the application of complexity to a specific action research project will be left to future publication(s). Rather, this article explores the general applicability of complexity as both theory and metaphor in action research. The article begins with a brief exploration of the theory, particularly focusing on its application in the social sciences. The theoretical and methodological connections between complexity and action research are discussed through several of the foundational postulates of complexity, how these manifest in action research and how they add to our understanding of action research itself.

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“…Many education theorists welcomed engagements with chaos theory, although thek justifications differed. Most education theorists welcomed engagements with chaos theory on the basis that they might provide generative metaphors for the dynamics of education (DoU, 1993;Green & Bigum, 1993;MacPherson, 1995;Sawada & Caley, 1985). To anticipate a more dkect appUcation, according to MacPherson, "would be taking the mathematics of chaos too seriously" (1995).…”

Section: Investigations Of the Potential Of Chaos Theory To Inform Enmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Engagements with uncertainty in education through chaos and complexity theories have resulted in impUcations being proposed for learning processes (Hardy, 1999a;Sawada & Caley, 1985;Tillmann et al, 2000) and the dynamics of education settings (MacPherson, 1995;SungaUa, 1990). These proposals are highly contested with some education theorists claiming dkect links between chaos and complexity theories and education (Hardy, 1999a;Sawada & Caley, 1985;SungaUa, 1990;Tillmann et al, 2000), whereas others claim that engagements with these theories operate at a metaphorical level (Gough, 1998d;MacPherson, 1995).…”

Section: Engagements With Uncertainty Through Chaos and Complexity Thmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These proposals are highly contested with some education theorists claiming dkect links between chaos and complexity theories and education (Hardy, 1999a;Sawada & Caley, 1985;SungaUa, 1990;Tillmann et al, 2000), whereas others claim that engagements with these theories operate at a metaphorical level (Gough, 1998d;MacPherson, 1995).…”

Section: Engagements With Uncertainty Through Chaos and Complexity Thmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In the neighbourhood of uncertainty : poststructuralisms and environmental education

Hardy¹

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Dissipative Structures: New Metaphors for Becoming in Education

Cited by 13 publications

References 0 publications

Dissipative structures in educational change: Prigogine and the academy

Dissipative structures in educational change: Prigogine and the academy

Complexity and action research: exploring the theoretical and methodological connections

In the neighbourhood of uncertainty : poststructuralisms and environmental education

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