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1 – 8 of 8Crystal Brown and Matthew Militello
Principals play a pivotal role in teachers’ professional growth, which impacts student outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to understand the perceptions principals have about…
Abstract
Purpose
Principals play a pivotal role in teachers’ professional growth, which impacts student outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to understand the perceptions principals have about effective elements of professional development (PD) and the role they play in facilitating the growth of teachers, and how this affects student learning.
Design/methodology/approach
Q methodology was utilized to investigate the subjective views of public school administrators about PD. A post sort survey was used to interpret demographic and perceptual data. The Q sorts were factor analyzed to reveal statistical correlations among the administrators. Focus group interviews representative of each emergent factor were then conducted with eight of the 34 principals who sorted the statements.
Findings
In total, 31 of the participants loaded on one of three factors. Though there were perceptional differences about which PD elements are effective, all of the principals expressed a desire to take an active role in teachers’ professional growth. These distinct viewpoints of PD included the themes of sustainability and collaboration.
Originality/value
School leaders are commonly named as the most important influence on teachers and their practices. PD is among the significant strategies that principals employ to impact teachers. Thus, studies that provide insights into how school leaders perceive PD are crucial to the in-service development of school teachers.
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Matthew Militello, Lynda Tredway, Lawrence Hodgkins and Ken Simon
The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of a virtual reality (VR) classroom experience for improving the capacity of instructional leaders. Specifically, school…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of a virtual reality (VR) classroom experience for improving the capacity of instructional leaders. Specifically, school leaders used VR to build their classroom observation and analysis skills to prepare to have more effective post-observation conversations with teachers. The authors provide insights from multiple data points that highlight the affordances of the virtual setting for improving classroom observation skills.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the application of simulations to practice classroom observations, the authors developed a VR experience in which participants tag observable elements of academic discourse using codes from two observation protocols. The protocols identify elements of equitable student access: how teachers call on students and how they design questions. Seventy-five school leaders used the VR platform to observe a classroom scenario and code evidence of equitable classroom access. The authors analyzed data from tagging in the virtual reality scenario and triangulated these data with survey data focused on observation practices from participants' schools. A reflection component is included on the platform to collect these qualitative data.
Findings
The study results indicate that the virtual reality platform provides an innovative process for leadership professional development focused on building school leaders' capacity to identify elements of academic discourse during classroom observations. Participants reported that the opportunity to practice classroom observations in a risk-free environment was useful. However, for school leaders to fully transfer the data to using in conversations with teachers, they benefit from leadership coaching.
Originality/value
This study ascertains the potential effectiveness of an advanced technology for enhancing instructional leadership by using evidence-based classrooms observations to drive improvements in teaching practice. Beyond the utility of the virtual reality tool, this study provides a proof of concept for the next generation of instructional leadership through teacher observations with augmented reality.
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Matthew Militello, Bonnie Fusarelli, Thomas Alsbury and Thomas P. Warren
The purpose of this study is to provide an empirical measure of how principals enact prescribed leadership standards into practice. The aim of the study was to ascertain how…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide an empirical measure of how principals enact prescribed leadership standards into practice. The aim of the study was to ascertain how current school principals perceive the practice of a specific set of leadership standards.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 61 practicing school principals in North Carolina were asked to rate (in a forced distribution) how they currently enact the North Carolina Standards for School Executives (their professional standards for certification and evaluation). Using Q‐methodology, factor analysis generated three model sorts. These factors are examined with the sorting data along with data from a post sort questionnaire.
Findings
The three factors that emerged in this study highlight that there is no one way leadership practices are lived in schools. Specifically, this study provided three distinct categories of how school principals practice leadership. The three factors that accounted for 38 percent of the variance in this study. The factors were named collaboration focus, policy focus, and vision focus. Each provides illustrative descriptions of what fosters and inhibits practices within each factor.
Practical implications
The findings have clear and present implications for how, why, and to what extent current school principals enact professional standards in the face of contextual factors that may complicate or even negate the efficacy of standardized practice. Such analysis holds promise that practices can be mediated in a meaningful manner.
Originality/value
This study adds value to the field by virtue of examining the dissonance between standards and practice. This study's methodology that seeks to operationalize subjectivity is original in the field of principal leadership.
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James Walker, Dave Towey, Matthew Pike, Georgios Kapogiannis, Ahmed Elamin and Ran Wei
It is possible for civil engineering (CE) students to graduate from a degree programme without gaining experience on a construction site. The implementation of virtual field trips…
Abstract
Purpose
It is possible for civil engineering (CE) students to graduate from a degree programme without gaining experience on a construction site. The implementation of virtual field trips using virtual reality (VR) in CE education is a development that can address this phenomenon and help facilitate the consolidation of abstract theories into tangible competences. This project aims to solve a fundamental CE education problem: once a structure has been completed, it is often impossible to see how it was built; hence, how can you demonstrate the construction process to a student?
Design/methodology/approach
This research used the opportunity of a new campus library development to record its construction sequence. This was achieved by visiting the site eight times to take panoramic stereoscopic photos of the construction process. By its nature, using VR as a didactic tool facilitates experiential learning, but this project also incorporates discovery learning and situated cognition to develop students’ understanding of the construction process.
Findings
The use of VR in education is becoming increasingly common, but the explicit pedagogy used in these environments is rarely obvious or stated. This project draws upon current VR education discussions and explores the development of a VR environment with a pedagogical context.
Originality/value
The development of the VR resource draws upon the pedagogical frameworks of discovery learning (Bruner, 1961) and situated cognition (Lave and Wenger, 1991). A further unique aspect of this research is the use of stereoscopic cameras to capture the library’s construction over time.
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Shelby Cosner, Lisa Walker, Jason Swanson, Martha Hebert and Samuel P. Whalen
The purpose of this paper is to identify the coaching structures that aspiring principals associate with developmentally consequential coaching interactions; identify structural…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the coaching structures that aspiring principals associate with developmentally consequential coaching interactions; identify structural features/functions/attributes that shape a structure’s developmental utility and use; and consider how a multifarious coaching structure might advantage the learning experiences of aspiring principals.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative study included multiple interviews with two cohorts of aspiring principals (n=20) from one preparation program and with their leadership coaches (n=5) and was framed using the theories of social capital and networks, situated learning, and distributed cognition.
Findings
The authors identified eight coaching structures that aspirants identified as consequential to their learning and development. The authors identified four structural features/functions/attributes that shape a structure’s developmental utility. The authors identified three factors that contribute to the developmental utility of this multifarious coaching model.
Research limitations/implications
This study includes a relatively small participant sample –70 percent of the aspiring principals from two cohorts within one preparation program. Data do not include direct observations of coaching interactions within the context of individual coaching structures.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that the structuring of leadership coaching is a critical consideration for those designing leadership coaching programs. This multifarious structuring of leadership coaching created three developmental affordances.
Originality/value
This paper generates new knowledge for the field of principal preparation related to the structuring of leadership coaching and ways in which structuring can shape aspirant learning experiences. These findings are likely to also be instructive to those interested in coaching more generally.
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Guangyu Xiao, Minwoo Lee, Choong-Ki Lee and Minseong Kim
This study aims to identify the key characteristics of tourism live streamers (TLSers) that influence target consumers and examine how these characteristics enhance destination…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the key characteristics of tourism live streamers (TLSers) that influence target consumers and examine how these characteristics enhance destination brand value by stimulating consumer emotional engagement and value co-creation behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was conducted with 552 respondents who had viewed tourism live streaming in China. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results revealed that TLSers’ expertise had the strongest influence on consumers and positively affected their attachment, trust, participation and citizenship behaviors and perceived destination brand value. Attractiveness and trustworthiness exerted positive but weaker effects on these variables.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the theoretical development of live-streaming research by demonstrating the distinct impacts of TLSer characteristics. Furthermore, this study expands the application of the social exchange theory and value co-creation in tourism research.
研究目的
本研究旨在确定影响目标消费者的旅游直播主(TLSers)的关键特征, 并检验这些特征如何通过激发消费者情感参与和价值共创行为来增强目的地品牌价值。
研究方法
对在中国观看过旅游直播的552名受访者进行了问卷调查, 采用结构方程建模分析数据。
研究发现
研究结果显示, TLSers的专业知识对消费者影响最大, 并积极影响他们的情感依恋、信任、参与和公民行为, 以及感知的目的地品牌价值。吸引力和可信度对这些变量的影响较弱但也是积极的。
研究创新
本研究通过展示TLSer特征的独特影响, 对直播研究的理论发展做出了贡献。此外, 本研究扩展了社会交换理论和价值共创在旅游研究中的应用。
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