An examination of tension in the space between leadership philosophy and the cultural reality of schools

Diversity is what gives our society depth and arguably beauty but it also problematizes already complex social issues like the importance and value placed on the education. In part, this challenge exists because public education is founded on the “values and belief systems of the dominant cultural and linguistic class” (Goddard & Hart, 2007, p. 16) yet schools are a complex, heterogeneous weave of cultures (Murakami-Ramalho, 2008). According to Chambers (2003), Canadian students are “probably the most ethnically, racially, linguistically, and religiously diverse of any school population in the world” (p. 223). This is no less true in the United States where one third of the school population is considered ethnically, linguistically or culturally diverse (Ladson-Billings, 2005). In European countries, the growth of the population has also shifted towards greater diversity; Switzerland, for example is now 20% foreign born (Levin, 2008). Despite this reality, schools leaders struggle to find ways to address the needs of culturally diverse students and their families (Bazron, Osher & Fleischman, 2005; Goddard & Hart, 2007); this challenge creates conflict in schools, particularly for those charged with their leadership

Informing Education Research and the Praxis of Leadership through the use of Autoethnography and Phenomenology

For the purpose of this paper, I outline how phenomenology and autoethnography can be used to inform educational research and the praxis and educational leadership. I orient the reader by establishing the parameters for what is intended here in the use of the terms educational research and the praxis of educational leadership. Additionally, I offer explanations of both autoethnography and phenomenology, their value in educational research and specifically, their value in studying educational leadership

The Use of Autoethnography in Educational Research: Locating Who We Are in What We Do

Autoethnography is a research method that engages the individual in cultural analysis and interpretation (Chang, 2008). The resultant self-analysis can have purposeful implications for the preparation of teachers and schools leaders. The process of self-exploration and interrogation aids individuals in locating themselves within their own history and culture allowing them to broaden their understanding of their own values in relation to others. In this paper, the methodological implications of autoethnography as well as its value as a research method is discussed in the context of understanding the self/other dialectic. Further, the relationship between autoethnography and the philosophical and practical implications relating to identity within education is examined

Addressing the Needs of Doctoral Students as Academic Practitioners: A Collaborative Inquiry on Teaching in Higher Education

This paper presents preliminary findings from a pilot study whose purpose was to explore how we, a tenure-track faculty member and a doctoral student, understood and developed our teaching practice when engaged in a formal faculty–student relationship. Using a hybrid of collaborative inquiry and collaborative self-study—which included verbal and written dialogue, interrogation, as well as observation—we sought to understand how that formal faculty–student relationship promoted the development of strong teaching pedagogy. The motivation for this study was a commitment to fostering high-quality teaching in undergraduate courses in our faculty of education. Driving this study was the research question: How are we investigating and improving upon our practices as teachers in post-secondary education?  Cet article présente les résultats préliminaires d’une étude pilote dont le but était d’explorer la façon dont nous, une professeure et une doctorante, avons compris et élaboré notre pratique d’enseignement lorsqu’engagées dans une relation formelle professeur-étudiant. En combinant recherche et autoétude collaborative, comprenant dialogue verbal et écrit, interrogation et observation, nous avons cherché à comprendre comment cette relation formelle professeur-étudiant favorisait l’évolution d’une pédagogie d’enseignement efficace. Le but de cette étude était d’assurer la qualité élevée des cours de premier cycle au sein de notre faculté d’éducation. La question de recherche à l’origine de cette étude était la suivante : Comment étudier et améliorer nos pratiques pédagogiques en matière d’enseignement postsecondaire

Recertification and Reentry to Practice for Nurse Anesthetists: Determining Core Competencies and Evaluating Performance via High-Fidelity Simulation Technology

Introduction The National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetistsaddressed a barrier to return to practice of uncertified practitioners by replacing required direct patient care experiences with high-fidelity simulation. Objectives The aims of this study were to: (a) validate a set of clinical activities for their relevance to reentry and determine if they could be replicated using simulation, (b) evaluate the content validity of an existing simulation scenario containing the proposed clinical activities and determine its substitutability for a clinical practicum, and (c) evaluate the validity of two methods to assess simulation performance. Methods A modified Delphi method incorporating an autonomous, anonymous, three-round online survey process using three unique expert certified registered nurse anesthetists groups was used to address each study aim. Results Twenty-seven clinical activities gained consensus as necessary to be assessed in the simulation. All 14 survey questions used to determine simulation content validity exceeded the minimum content validity index (CVI) value of 0.78, with a mean CVI of 0.99. The global rating scale CVI and the competency checklist CVI were 0.83 and 1.0, respectively. Conclusion The findings add to the existing literature supporting the utility of simulation for high-stakes provider assessment and certification

A Collaborative Framework for Data Management Services: The Experience of the University of California

The National Science Foundation and other funding agencies now require researchers to include data management plans with new grant proposals. Faced with this requirement, researchers are looking to libraries for help with various aspects of research data management and curation, from creating data management plans to archiving and providing access to their research data. The University of California Libraries deliver a growing range of services and tools such as the DMPTool, EZID, Merritt, Web Archiving Service and campus-based data management programs. This article discusses these initiatives, tools, and methods for campus engagement and faculty outreach, plus opportunities and challenges in developing library data services

Winter Counts as Transformative Inquiry: The Role of Creative Imagery as an Expression of Adaptive Change

Pre-service teachers face a complex educational context and Transformative Inquiry is a useful approach for negotiating this terrain. We interpret the movement of students via the adaptive cycle put forth in panarchy theory as they engage in the inquiry process through ‘winter counts’, a Plains First Nation tradition, as expressions of their understanding. These image-based expressions demonstrate the emotional, mental, spiritual and physical movement students have made within their inquiry. Panarchy theory moves beyond interpreting systems using simplistic equilibrium models and acknowledging the more complex and dynamic set of equilibria that describes transformation in ecological, social, and economic systems and considers the multiple complexities of systems thinking while providing insight into how change occurs as a constantly adaptive cycle process. Used sparingly within social sciences until recently, we argue it as particularly relevant for seeing Transformative Inquiry through Indigenist and interconnected lenses