Theory in educational administration: naturalistic directions

Abstract

Provides an overview of a rather large research program, developed over the last 15 years, that seeks to offer a new perspective on the nature of theory and practice in educational administration. The core ideas of the program, together with a considerable amount of detail, can be found in three books by Evers and Lakomski. However, because these volumes stand in a developmental sequence, there is merit in presenting in a brief compass an account of our overall strategy, especially in relation to the nature of administrative theory, and some of the conclusions reached along the way. The discussion has two main parts. First, the central theoretical features of our program are outlined, indicating some earlier results flowing from their application to various debates in educational administration. Then, some examples are offered focused on the main concern of our most recent research – developing and applying this framework to a cluster of problems about administrative practice and the nature of practical knowledge.

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

“…The emerging literature on educational leadership in Hong Kong implicitly adopts a structural functionalist view of school leadership and management (Evers & Lakomski, 2001). Topical foci generally demonstrate a pragmatic, instrumental perspective toward the study of school leadership.…”

Levels of Conformity to Leader in Normal and Critical Situations

“…Individual's desire to be guided by someone means that s/he abandons his/her right to decide about doing. As need for autonomy is a term closely associated with cultural values [28,29,30], the need for leadership may also be varied according to cultural values. In other words, as leadership is socially constructed, it is inevitable to see the effects of the social and cultural environment in leadership [31].…”

“…The individual who leaves him/herself to someone's guidance also abandons autonomy and his/her right to decide. As need for autonomy is a term especially closely associated with cultural values, the need for leadership may also be varied according to cultural values [28,29,30]. In other words, leadership is a social organisation, so seeing the effects of social and cultural environment in leadership is inevitable [31].…”

Need to Address Evidence-Based Practice in Educational Administration

“…(p. 70) More recently, Evers and Lakomski (2001) proposed a new science of administration that attempts to account for values and human subjectivity. They referred to this theory of knowledge as naturalistic coherentism.…”