Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe impact of positions of leadership in Catholic primary schools( 1997)This research emanated from an interest that was developed in leadership roles and how these have impacted on Victorian Catholic Primary Schools, especially in the North Central Zone. Questions that were used as the main focus for this study were: How does the role of the Catholic Primary Principal impact on Positions of Leadership? And Does the existence of Positions of Leadership make Catholic Primary Schools more effective? In order to find the answers to these questions both quantitative and qualitative research was undertaken in the form of a Case Study. The study involved gathering data from Principals, teachers with Positions of Leadership and teachers without Positions of Leadership in the North Central Zone. The data for this research came from collated responses in the form of questionnaires from eighteen schools and transcripts of interviews from six people at two schools within the zone. Whilst writings from a variety of sources have been used to clarify and add meaning to this research, several writers were used as a basis for the study including; Bolman and Deal (1991), Fullan (1991), Fullan and Stiegelbauer (1991), Hargreaves (1994) and Little and McLaughlin (c1993). This research highlighted several areas that need to be addressed if Positions of Leadership are to have a positive impact on Victorian Catholic Primary Schools. 1) Schools need to incorporate ongoing review of all aspects of school operations through the School Development Plan. In particular, this could seek to ensure that the school is operating effectively both administratively and educationally. 2) The role of principals should not be underestimated as they have responsibility for all aspects of the running of the school. The leadership style used by the principal will directly impact on the effectiveness of Positions of Leadership operating within the school. It is only through the use of a collaborative style of leadership that POLs will be able to have maximum effect. 3) Personnel chosen for Positions of Leadership need to be carefully screened ensuring that they have not only an enthusiasm and understanding of the area for which they will have responsibility but that their disposition allows for open communication.
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ItemSharing the spirit: transmission of charism by religious congregations( 1998)Catholic schools have experienced significant changes in recent years. Other than the pressures that all schools face, the issue of the identity of Catholic schools has loomed large. With the dramatic decrease in the active membership of religious congregations, the continuation of their charism, their philosophical and spiritual tradition, has been a crucial concern. In this study, the processes for charism transmission were examined in order to identify these processes and their underlying assumptions. Through the use of interviews, participant observations and document analyses, the processes for charism transmission currently in use were documented. Charism transmission was found to occur through a range of formal and informal processes. Informal processes included school structures, networks, personal contact and the everyday reality of school life. Formal processes included a range of programs planned to share overtly the charism with lay colleagues. These included inservices, extended reflection programs and explorations of personal spirituality. These processes were consistent with the definition of charism proposed by Lee (1989) and with the model of shared praxis proposed by Groome (1991). In addition, vision, in this study, was influenced significantly by the historical context and tradition of the group. Thus, the description of vision, as proposed by Staessens and Vandenberghe (1995), was augmented with this additional perspective. The assumptions, which strongly influenced the chosen processes, were primarily related to the expected roles of religious and their lay colleagues. Although a shared or mutual responsibility was advocated by the majority of congregations, the processes employed were not always consistent with that assumption. As a result, a framework, based on the work of Butler (1996), for the development of more coherent and comprehensive approaches has been proposed.