Managing teacher balkanization in times of implementing change

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this article is to report an exploratory study which was designed to illuminate how school cultures and teachers' value orientations are affected by the educational change of parental involvement. Design/methodology/approach -The qualitative research that informs this paper is conceptualized within the interpretive paradigm. Two schools were selected purposefully for the study. In-depth interviews with 12 teachers and their principal were conducted in each school where observation took place for half a year. Eventually themes and dimensions of teachers' value demarcations emerged in times of change.Findings -The study demonstrates that three balkanized factions of teachers were wrestling at school. The first balkanized teacher group welcomed the innovation of parental involvement. The second faction of teachers who disbelieved such innovation was found diffident and conservative, and demonstrated resistance to change. The third type of teachers was of a majority who might or might not take part in implementing change. However, once incentives were imposed from the management, they would probably be assimilated.Research limitations/implications -The study aims at illuminating teachers' responses to change. It does not attempt to make generalization. Originality/value -The study reveals that managing teacher balkanization in times of change, school leaders' personal beliefs and their early intervention, are of paramount importance.

Review of Research on Educational Leadership and Management in Hong Kong, 1995–2012: Topographical Analysis of an Emergent Knowledge Base

“…Qualitative studies have focused on generating thick descriptions of the relationship between different forms of school leadership, teacher practice, and curriculum change (E. Law et al, 2010;Ng, 2011;Tam, 2010). Quantitative studies have explored the practices and effects of transformational leadership (Lam, 2002;Yu et al, 2002) as well as other forms of school leadership (Pang & Pisapia, 2012;Walker & Ko, 2011).…”

“…This group consisted of 22 articles, or 14% of the Hong Kong corpus (see Figure 5). Shaped by system implementation of a continuous series of education reforms over the past 20 years (see Y. C. Cheng & Walker, 2008), Hong Kong scholars have focused in particular on the role and contributions of leadership in the process of organizational change (e.g., Y. C. Cheng, 2000aCheng, , 2003Hallinger, 2011b;Ng, 2011;E. M. L. Wong & Li, 2008;P.…”

A systematic review of research on educational leadership in Hong Kong, 1995-2014

“…Law et al (2003) found that, "[…] staff-related problems seemed to be both the most common and the worst problems for the group of principals involved in the study, regardless of the dominant values they held" (p. 508). Principals tended to view teacher competency as the most important obstacle to improving outcomes for students (Cheung and Wong, 2012;Chow, 2013;Ho and Chen, 2013;Ko et al, 2014;Lam, 2003;Law, 2011;Ng, 2011;Pang, 1998;Tan, 2014;Wong, 2003). At the same time, there is evidence to suggest that even in the emerging context of SBM, teachers' voices did not receive sufficient attention (e.g.…”

Including parents in school governance: rhetoric or reality

“…In the second phase, there were ups and downs when parents and teachers worked together in the PTAs (Ng, 2011). For instance, two senior teachers expressed the views in the following ways:…”