ERIC Number: EJ748063
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Sep
Pages: 21
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0157-244X
EISSN: N/A
Individual and Collective Leadership in School Science Departments
Ritchie, Stephen M.; Mackay, Gail; Rigano, Donna L.
Research in Science Education, v36 n3 p141-161 Sep 2006
Given that the subject department is recognised by subject specialist teachers as the central and immediate unit of organization in secondary schools it is surprising that so little attention has been paid by researchers to the leadership dynamics within science departments. The leadership dynamics within the science departments of two contrasting school contexts were explored dialectically in this study. The structure [vertical bar] agency and individual [vertical bar] collective dialectics guided our interpretation of data from lesson observations, interviews and questionnaire responses, especially as they related to teachers' preparation of units of work (i.e., planned curriculum). As well as recognising thin coherence in teachers' responses we identify contradictions in teachers' perceived and enacted leadership roles, and perceptions of influences on curriculum planning and teaming within the two science departments. Throughout the article we disrupt traditional individualistic leadership discourses and suggest possibilities for more widespread application of an individual [vertical bar] collective leadership dialectic in school science departments.
Descriptors: Leadership Styles, Science Departments, Secondary Schools, Interviews, Response Rates (Questionnaires), Social Systems, Transformational Leadership, Organizational Development, Organizational Theories, Ethnography, Leadership Responsibility, Teacher Surveys
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A