Derek J. Allison

Both Ends of a Telescope: Experience and Expertise in Principal Problem Solving

This article develops a conceptual framework for the application of schema theory to the appraisal of expertise in school administration and reports the results of a study conducted to investigate relevant variables. More complex schemata of the kind considered likely to be associated with expertise were viewed as being associated with both greater attention to detail and a more abstract approach to problem solving. The relationship of these characteristics to judged expertise in transcribed think-aloud responses to a case problem was investigated with reference to the effects of professional experience. Results showed that attention to detail and level of abstraction were both positively related to judged expertise. Professional experience in schools-but not necessarily in the principalship-was also positively related to judged expertise and the other variables, with some interesting exceptions.

Problem Finding, Classification and Interpretation: In Search of a Theory of Administrative Problem Processing

In much the same way that Henry Ford represented history as ‘just one damn thing after another,’ life could be described as dealing with one problem after another. This would seem particularly so for administrators, the routing of information within organizational hierarchies ensuring that the problems which other people cannot easily handle will land on their desks. But more than this, administrators are charged with responsibility for the overall health, efficiency, and effectiveness of their organization. In consequence administrators not only have an obligation to deal with problems brought to their attention, they also have a responsibility to look for and find problems not noticed by others, and to seek ways of resolving those problems which will enhance the operation of the organization, enrich the quality of members’ participation, and better serve the interests of clients. This is especially important for administrators of Human Service Organizations, such as schools and school systems, whose purpose is to serve clients who are also non-voluntary members of the organization.

Toward an Improved Understanding of the Organizational Nature of Schools

An accurate conceptualization of the nature of schools is a necessary condition for developing useful knowledge in the field of educational administration. The present approach to seeking knowledge about schools, however, places an uncritical reliance on images and models of formal organizations that deflects attention away from the direct study of schools as discrete social phenomena. To counter this, the development of independent models of schools is argued for. This argument builds on an approach to knowledge originally presented by Kenneth Boulding that defines valuable middle ground between the polarized positions advocated in the recent epistemological debate in educational administration.

School Choice in Canada: Diversity Along the Wild–Domesticated Continuum

Policies governing school choice in each of Canada’s 10 provinces are summarized and then compared using a conceptual continuum contrasting “domesticated” and “wild” organizations. Analysis focuses on the evolution of school choice in the six most populous provinces accounting for 93% of the Canadian population. Ontario, the largest province, accounting for 38% of population, emerges as displaying the greatest contrast between highly domesticated public schools and notably wild nonpublic schools.

Riding the E and L roller‐coaster

Offers a critical commentary on the Evers and Lakomski research programme as summarized in their article, “Theory in educational administration: naturalistic directions”. The origins of their naturalistic epistemology are reviewed and some of its limitations for understanding social action considered, especially the limitations it imposes on understanding social behaviour at the level of meaning. Brief attention is given to their coherence criteria, particularly to the manner in which these should be appropriately employed in theory choice. Concludes with a short consideration of the general problem of developing theory in educational administration and the appropriate role for modern science.