Managing the process of an educational change

Abstract

PurposeTo cope with the challenges of the twenty‐first century, the Hong Kong SAR government initiated the Curriculum Reform in 2001. In 2006, a research team from a tertiary institution was commissioned to review the progress of change for smooth implementation of the reform in its next phase. This paper aims to examine this issue.Design/methodology/approachThe nature of the review is basically a survey, applying questionnaires and follow‐up focus‐group interviews to collect data from different groups of subjects. The sample was around 20 per cent of the population, i.e. a total of 252 primary (n=138) and secondary (n=114) schools.FindingsThe paper reports findings on the support for the Reform by primary and secondary schools. Five areas of agreement among school heads are examined, which include challenges to be met, guiding principles of the reform, learning goals, reform framework and the overall agreement with the rationale of the reform. It is found that, while the curriculum reform was supported among school heads, senior teachers and teachers, there was a gap between the views of senior management team and frontier teachers.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a very comprehensive research project with a limited timeframe. The paper can only report and discuss findings mainly on the support for curriculum reform by school heads. Other aspects of the study will be discussed and reported separately in subsequent papers.Practical implicationsThe gap between the views of senior management team and frontier teachers is worth probing as this is the most obstructive factor to the implementation of the reform. Identifying the cause would be the first step in formulating strategies to address and, hopefully, to facilitate the smooth transition from the phase of implementation to the continuation phase of the change process.Originality/valueThe study has suggested the development of a two‐dimensional framework of agreement areas and stakeholders which will contribute to a better understanding of the change process in general, and achievements of a curriculum reform in particular. Other issues are also discussed.

A framework for managing innovation in higher education: lessons learnt from the UAE iPad initiative

“…Innovation in education is a systematic and strategically planned change that can be extremely complex and multidimensional. Changes can be classified as “first-order” or “second-order.” First-order change occurs when the system remains unchanged, requires no new learning and results in no significant alteration to organisational structure (Fouts, 2003; Hylton et al , 2015; Wong and Cheung, 2009). Second-order change represents an actual change in the system, a new approach in the manner in which things are executed and requires an alteration of one’s beliefs and attitudes (Goodman, 1995).…”

“…Educational changes are usually within the areas of curriculum and teacher development, as well as school improvement and effectiveness (Wideen and Pye, 1994). Duke (2004) (cited in Wong and Cheung, 2009) defines educational change as:…”

The Influence of Educational Leadership in Successful Change Management in Education Office of Wolaita Zone

“…Change, whether incremental or quantum, can create significant challenges and displacements in organizations due to the difficulty of many individuals, groups and institutions to adapt to change. Organizational success, and indeed survival, as Wong (2009) contends, is dependent on the ability to respond to and manage environmental changes, and the identification and development of strong leadership to guide the process.…”

Self-Evaluation as a Change in the Greek Education System (General and Special Education): A Critical Overview of This Project

“…It is a psychological and at the same time social phenomenon, according to James (1998), which is caused to individuals due to the reversal of their habits and brings them face to face with the unknown. According to Everard and Morris (1999), the success of an introduced change in an educational organization is a complex issue and that is why change attempts often fail, while, as Wong and Cheung (2009) point out, the effective management of the change process change is essential for its success. The framework of the evaluation of the educational work in the educational institutions of primary and secondary education in Greece was shaped by various legislative texts (Laws 3848/2010, 4142/2013, Presidential Decree 152/2013), but the introduction of the self-evaluation of the school unit was actually attempted with Ministerial Decision No.…”