The distribution of instructional leadership in eLearning clusters : an ecological perspective (2011)

View/ Open
Type of Content
Theses / DissertationsThesis Discipline
EducationDegree Name
Master of EducationPublisher
University of Canterbury. School of Literacies and Arts in Education /Educational Studies and Human DevelopmentCollections
Abstract
This study explores educational leadership within and across two of NZ’s eLearning clusters. Two complementary perspectives of educational leadership are used to frame the investigation: instructional leadership and distributed leadership. The research was conducted approximately nine months after the cessation of a two-year Ministry subsidy for the employment of 12 ePrincipals and at a time when Ultrafast Broadband was imminent for nearly all NZ schools.
The literature review explores aspects of two areas related to eLearning leadership: conventional educational leadership in ‘bricks-and-mortar’ schooling contexts and eLearning/eTeaching in virtual schooling contexts. Data was gathered from semistructured interviews with twelve school-based research participants (ePrincipals, eTeachers, Site Supervisors and Principals) across two of NZ’s eLearning clusters and four National Officials with responsibilities for wider forms of eLearning. The findings are presented in a manner that attempts to capture directly the research participants’ voices, while still maintaining confidentiality and anonymity. The findings are discussed using an ecological perspective of eLearning as the unifying framework to explore the leadership across nested and interacting layers, from the micro-level of an eLearning class to the macro-level of NZ’s system for secondary education.
The major findings from the study indicate that educational leadership in eLearning clusters is complex, relies heavily on goodwill and collaboration, and occurs in a challenging environment. Within an eLearning cluster the leadership of eLearning/eTeaching is distributed primarily across the ePrincipal, eTeachers and Site Supervisors who each assume complementary leadership roles. A raft of recommendations, across all ecosystem levels of eLearning, is proposed for leaders to consider when initiating change to strengthen their practices and policies with respect to enhancing eLearning and eTeaching.
Keywords
educational leadership; eLearning; eTeaching; ecological perspective; distributed leadership; instructional leadership; eLearning cluster; videoconference; virtual school; ePrincipal; eTeacher; Site SupervisorRights
Copyright Kerry Maxwell StevensRelated items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Is there a case for blended leadership learning for principals?
Dempster N; Lovett S; Townsend T; Bayetto A; Johnson G; Stevens E (2017)This paper draws from six research studies investigating the question of what it takes for principals to be leaders of learning with a particular focus on improvements in student learning and achievement in reading. Our ... -
Principals' and Teachers' Perceptions of Distributed Leadership in Four High Achieving Bangladesh Schools
Salahuddin, A.; Conner, L. (University of Canterbury. School of Educational Studies and LeadershipUniversity of Canterbury. College Office (Education), 2014)This paper provides contextual information and specific findings about how principals in Bangladesh lead their schools. While the rate of change in education can sometimes be overwhelming in Bangladesh, school leadership ... -
Leading schooling in Aotearoa New Zealand: Understanding and supporting the weight of culture for Māori teachers
Torepe, Toni; Macfarlane , Angus; Macfarlane, Sonja; Fletcher, Jo; Manning, Richard (Exeley, Inc., 2018)Leading schools in Aotearoa New Zealand is a critical role. In a bicultural country, a key aspect of this role is developing a school ethos where culturally responsive practices are strongly embedded. Frequently, this ...