University of Canterbury Home
    • Admin
    UC Research Repository
    UC Library
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    1. UC Home
    2. Library
    3. UC Research Repository
    4. Faculty of Education | Te Kaupeka Ako
    5. Education: Theses and Dissertations
    6. View Item
    1. UC Home
    2.  > 
    3. Library
    4.  > 
    5. UC Research Repository
    6.  > 
    7. Faculty of Education | Te Kaupeka Ako
    8.  > 
    9. Education: Theses and Dissertations
    10.  > 
    11. View Item

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

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    thesis_fulltext.pdf (1.227Mb)
    Type of Content
    Theses / Dissertations
    UC Permalink
    http://hdl.handle.net/10092/5446
    http://dx.doi.org/10.26021/9998
    
    Thesis Discipline
    Education
    Degree Name
    Master of Education
    Publisher
    University of Canterbury. School of Literacies and Arts in Education /Educational Studies and Human Development
    Collections
    • Education: Theses and Dissertations [618]
    Authors
    Stevens, Kerry Maxwell
    show all
    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 Supervisor
    Rights
    Copyright Kerry Maxwell Stevens
    https://canterbury.libguides.com/rights/theses

    Related 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 ...
    Advanced Search

    Browse

    All of the RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThesis DisciplineThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThesis Discipline

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics
    • SUBMISSIONS
    • Research Outputs
    • UC Theses
    • CONTACTS
    • Send Feedback
    • +64 3 369 3853
    • ucresearchrepository@canterbury.ac.nz
    • ABOUT
    • UC Research Repository Guide
    • Copyright and Disclaimer
    • SUBMISSIONS
    • Research Outputs
    • UC Theses
    • CONTACTS
    • Send Feedback
    • +64 3 369 3853
    • ucresearchrepository@canterbury.ac.nz
    • ABOUT
    • UC Research Repository Guide
    • Copyright and Disclaimer