ERIC Number: EJ1108054
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1814-6627
EISSN: N/A
Using Visual Ethnography to Explore a Principal's Perceptions of Innovations Made in a South African Primary School
Steyn, G. M.
Africa Education Review, v10 n3 p554-578 2013
This study investigates a South African principal's view of implementing invitational education (IE) as an example of a professional development programme (PD) within a particular school setting. Two types of literature inform this study: leadership supportive of school development and the invitational education approach to teaching and learning. The study uses qualitative reflexive photography to explore the following research question: How does the principal perceive the way in which intentionally inviting changes were made in the school under his leadership? The data analysis revealed the following categories: people--focussing on care; places--changing the physical setting; policies--regulating the functions of the school; programmes--developing people through helpful initiatives; and process, that is, organising the context in which schooling takes place. The findings support the fact that the process of IE needs to organise all the other factors in a way that is both democratic and humane. IE requires a commitment to certain goals if changes are to be implemented successfully; this, in turn, implies that a school should develop a culture of collective learning and that learners should be encouraged to care about one another in the school.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Photography, Ethnography, Principals, Administrator Attitudes, Educational Innovation, Professional Development, Educational Change, Program Implementation, Data Analysis, Educational Environment, Caring, Primary Education, Elementary Schools, Educational Theories, Educational Practices, Questionnaires, Portfolios (Background Materials), Physical Environment, Educational Facilities, Educational Improvement, Qualitative Research
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Primary Education; Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A