Roland Vandenberghe

Teachers' professional development: a solitary or collegial (ad)venture?

Abstract There exists nowadays consensus on the importance of teachers’ professional development. Also, most authors agree that the schools workplace conditions can exert great influence on this development. In this paper the impact of two workplace conditions, autonomy and collegiality, on elementary school teachers’ professional development is analysed. The qualitative research reported makes clear that this influence should be thought of in a balanced way. Certain forms of autonomy and collegiality — and more specifically certain combinations of both workplace conditions — have a far more positive influence on teachers’ professional development than others.

The usefulness of qualitative case studies in research on special needs education

Research on special needs education is often very complex and puts specific demands on the methodology used. Data‐triangulation, at the very least, is required. In most of our recent research projects on the development of special needs education in Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium), we have made use of qualitative case studies to describe and understand the complex reality of the innovations taking place in our schools. In this article we discuss some methodological aspects of qualitative case study designs, illustrated with a study on the implementation of inclusive education in Flemish primary schools.

Creative management of a school

Taking into consideration the scope and pace of change in education at the start of the 1990s, it is not at all surprising that many researchers asked questions about the changes in the role of principals. Groups these changes in the principalship under two broad categories: changes in internal operations (internal leadership) and alterations in relationships with the larger school environment (environmental leadership). One common theme underlying both types of leadership is the expectation that principals justify permanently the general and specific decisions they make. Considers this justification to be one of the main requirements for creative leadership. Data from four different studies in primary schools in the Dutch‐speaking part of Belgium are used to illustrate how principals organize and structure this justification task. The data illustrate clearly that teachers are confronted with different justification styles and that principals do differ a great deal as far as creative management is concerned.

The imperative of complementarity between the school level and the classroom level in educational innovation

The results are presented of a qualitative study on the implementation of specialneeds provisions in four primary schools in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. It shows how primary schools deal with such an innovation as the extension of specialneeds services. In the conceptual framework, the assumption that an innovation should be considered not only from a structural-functional perspective but also from an individual-cultural perspective is explored. The research data were subjected to within-site and cross-site analysis. The findings reveal the importance of complementarity between actions at the school level and the classroom level. An individual-cultural perspective is necessary if one wants to grasp the nature of this complementarity.

The Changing Role of Principals in Primary and Secondary Schools in Belgium.

Explores two interesting areas for understanding the changing roles of principals. Describes, first, some changes in the political structure and in the educational policy which make clear that primary and secondary school principals are confronted with a turbulent policy environment; second, during the last 20 years, schools and principals have been involved in so‐called large‐scale improvement projects. Using research data illustrates what the consequences are for principals, and how they restructure their activities. From these analyses, it is obvious that in the coming years principals are expected to legitimate their local policy.

Implementing educational policy at the school level: organization dynamics and teacher concerns

Difficulties in implementing change in schools have been explained either by referring to the concerns of teachers or to the organizational dynamics of the school. This article presents a framework in which these two sets of factors are linked. It is suggested that the school, in responding to major policy change, triggers specific organizational issues that in turn will arouse specific concerns on the part of the individual teacher. The implementation of major change is seen as the resolution of these issues and their related concerns. The framework maps the interplay of organizational issues and personal concerns; it serves as a reflection on the dynamics of change and on the management of “the implementing school”.

Dilemmas faced by a university president in educational reforms

This paper explores higher education reforms in China in the 1990s. Confronted with the furious conflicts and mismatch between the market economy and the highly state-controlled socialist educational system, educational reforms in China are extremely complex and difficult. The authors present a case study here telling the tragedy of a university presidents reforms in China. They have unfolded how the macro system changes impacted on the micro system reforms. They point out that multilayers exist within an organizational culture. Although understanding organizational culture does not guarantee successful reform, however, a thorough understanding of the fabric of an organizational culture may become an effective lever to initiate or implement the context-fitted reforms. The authors try to describe informatively what dilemmas the Chinese IHE leaders were faced with in the 1990s. Seeking new means for school reforms in a time of turbulent policy environment, in a testing period with sharp contradictory forces, school leaders should have not only sharp eyes, clear thinking, and independence but also creativity, endurance, and persistence.

The development of qualitative research: efforts and experiences from continental Europe

Qualitative methodology has become widespread and accepted in educational research in Europe. The article reviews European efforts toward the methodological grounding of qualitative research approaches (with a focus on the Dutch and German speaking communities). The authors describe the research agenda favoring the use of qualitative methods: reconstruct‐ivist studies, focused on the reconstruction of subjective meaning and development; and interventionist studies, aimed at changing and improving educational situations.

Thinking about principals: How they cope with external pressures and internal redefinition of their role

Abstract Looking at recent changes in the educational policy context, it is difficult to underestimate the central role of the principal. Principals must simultaneously perform different roles and implement activities of a varied nature. As an ‘instructional leader’, he or she must be able to create supportive links between the school and the classroom level. Individual learning and teachers’ professional development must be linked to, and supported by, an appropriate organizational development. As a ‘project manager’, the principal is expected to develop and implement a specific plan in order to solve particular problems indicated by the inspectorate. Both tasks — instructional leader and project manager — are illustrated in this chapter.