Leadership and management training for school heads : a milestone achievement for Fiji

This study reports on how a group of Fijian school leaders felt about a leadership and management training programme they had just completed. As a preliminary study, it gathered data by means of a survey questionnaire and document analysis. The data analysis reveals the principals’ positive perceptions of the programme overall, although they felt some areas need more attention, notable among them being both context-specific and field-based learning, which the leaders consider essential in future training programmes in leadership and management to meet the special circumstances of the school. Implications of the study’s findings are also pertinent to other jurisdictions within and beyond the Pacific region for leadership preparation and development to improve leadership practices, an essential ingredient in school effectivenes

Developing School Heads as Instructional Leaders in School–Based Assessment: Challenges and Next Steps

The aim of this paper is to present the findings of a study on school-based assessment in a Pacific nation – namely, the Solomon Islands. A questionnaire was designed consisting of both open-ended and closed-type questions to elicit the views of school heads on the challenges they faced in school-based assessment. The findings indicated that they faced difficulties in effectively carrying out school-based assessment due to the limited knowledge and skills they possessed. They highlighted that the initial teacher training programme did not include much on assessment and this adversely impacted their work as instructional leaders on assessment for learning and teaching in schools. On a positive note, when they critically reflected on the assessment course which they completed as part of the leadership programme, they showed adequacy of preparation in terms of their newly acquired knowledge and skills in applying best practices in school-based assessment. Despite this being a small-scale study, it indicates that more attention given to the application of best practices in assessment for the purpose of promoting children’s learning is warranted. Best practices in assessment are needed not only in Solomon Islands but also for other jurisdictions within the Pacific region, to ensure meaningful progress and development in education

Educational Reforms and Implications on Teachers’ World of Work: Perspectives of Fijian Primary Teachers

This preliminary study reports on educational changes and its impact on primary teachers’ world of work in Fiji. Data were gathered from 38 primary teachers, using a questionnaire of Likert scale items and open-ended questions aiming to identify the intensity of the changes that have occurred in their work. The data analysis reveals the educational reforms as having intensified the work of teachers. In this regard, the principal stakeholder needs to be mindful of cumulative ongoing changes, to avoid any serious ramifications for teachers’ workload and in turn children’s learning outcomes. Teachers themselves highlighted the need for future changes to include more opportunities for continuous professional development to enable them to cope well with new demands of work. Implications of the study’s findings are also pertinent to other developing contexts such as those in the Pacific region and beyond because of ongoing transformations occurring in education systems worldwid

Challenges for rural school leaders in a developing context: the case of Solomon Islands

Thirty-eight rural school leaders in Solomon Islands responded to a questionnaire aimed at identifying their perceptions of work challenges. The data analysis points to an overwhelming percentage of school leaders feeling they face multifaceted problems in their work settings, including such challenges as untrained teachers, lack of funding, limited learning and teaching resources, and land disputes. The latter in particular is beyond the school leader’s jurisdiction; addressing it needs urgent attention from the principal stakeholder(s). Such challenges, seemingly tangential to the business of schooling, inadvertently affect the provision of good-quality education. The findings demonstrate that contextual challenges raise questions about what powers leadership at school level has to deal with some of them. The suggestion is advanced for the significant place-conscious leadership development to help address some community and cultural challenges. Implications of this paper are likely to be relevant to other similar contexts in the Pacific region and beyond

Instructional Leadership Practices: Teachers Perceptions of a Rural School Principal in Fiji

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which teachers perceive their principal to be effectively exhibiting an instructional leadership role. Data for the study were collected from teachers (N=24) in a rural secondary school in Fiji using the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) developed and advocated by Hallinger (1990). In addition to Likert scale items, the questionnaire included open-ended questions to gain deeper insights into teachers’ ratings of each item. Analyses of the data revealed that ratings for the principal were the highest for communicating school goals to students and protecting instructional time while supervision and evaluation of instruction were the lowest-rated items. The lack of professional preparation for an instructional leadership role and the dual role of the rural principal as school leader and teacher, which appears to compromise both roles, may together explain the scant attention paid to the instructional leadership role. These findings have implications for principals’ workload and in turn instructional leadership practices, which the Fiji Ministry of Education could re-visit to avoid compromising either the leadership or teaching role

Professional Development of Pre-Service Teachers: The Case of Practicum Experience

The reported study focuses on pre-service teachers’ professional development during the teaching practice. The cohort studied comprised participants in their final year in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science with Graduate Certificate in Education programmes of a university in Fiji. Analysis of the data obtained using a survey questionnaire indicates that overall, the pre-service teachers were satisfied with the practicum experience. This is assumed to demonstrate that the practicum experience contributed well towards their professional preparation for work expected of them in Fiji secondary schools. Participants also identified some concerns as needing attention. To conclude, the paper provides suggestions for improving the preparation of teachers by strengthening the identified areas of the practicum offered by the university. The study has implications for other teacher education providers in small developing island states and even beyond for the purpose of enhancing learning in student teachers’ for future work

Effectiveness of school strategic planning: the case of Fijian schools

In Fiji, notable among the recent spate of educational reforms has been the Ministry of Education’s (MoEs) requirement that all schools undertake a process of school strategic planning. This preliminary study explores perceptions of a sample of Fijian teachers on the way this exercise has been conducted in their schools. The analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data indicates that school leaders’ lack of knowledge and skills in school strategic planning is a major limitation. As an unsurprising consequence, the process(es) schools adopted did not conform to what the literature suggests as best planning practices. School leaders need more training to ensure they are better prepared to carry out this strategic planning effectively, especially in widening the opportunities for all who have a stake in education to contribute to the process. Implications of the findings are likely to be pertinent to other developing contexts within and beyond the Pacific region for the training of school leaders to ensure they are better equipped to orchestrate and benefit from educational reforms thrust upon them

Instructional leadership practices: teachers perceptions of a rural school Principal in Fiji

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which teachers perceive their principal to be effectively exhibiting an instructional leadership role. Data for the study were collected from teachers (N=24) in a rural secondary school in Fiji using the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) developed and advocated by Hallinger (1990). In addition to Likert scale items, the questionnaire included open-ended questions to gain deeper insights into teachers’ ratings of each item. Analyses of the data revealed that ratings for the principal were the highest for communicating school goals to students and protecting instructional time while supervision and evaluation of instruction were the lowest-rated items. The lack of professional preparation for an instructional leadership role and the dual role of the rural principal as school leader and teacher, which appears to compromise both roles, may together explain the scant attention paid to the instructional leadership role. These findings have implications for principals’ workload and in turn instructional leadership practices, which the Fiji Ministry of Education could re-visit to avoid compromising either the leadership or teaching role

School leadership preparation and development: the cases of Fiji and the Solomon Islands

This paper focuses on school leadership preparation and development. Since it is increasingly being recognised that the quality of leadership contributes significantly to schools' success, the small island states of the Pacific would do well to pay considerable attention to the preparation and development of school leaders. For too long, these countries have allowed incumbents without any specific leadership preparation to head schools. Only recently have some countries embarked on leadership preparation; this chapter highlights two cases, Fiji and Solomon Islands. This paper also draws on international literature on leadership preparation and development, stressing the need for on-going training and development of school leaders to ensure improvement in educational provision. For principal stakeholders in the region's national education systems, the issue of school leadership certainly warrants serious thinking and rethinking