Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemHigher education privatization in Kuwait: A study in the processes of policy production( 2015)Like most countries around the world, the State of Kuwait has over the past two decades experienced a rapid growth in student demand for higher education. Lacking public resources, most emerging systems of higher education have turned to privatization policies as a way of meeting this demand. Similar financial pressures do not however apply to Kuwait, since it enjoys a surplus of revenue from its oil exports. Financial arguments explaining the adoption of privatization policies are therefore not compelling in the case of Kuwait. This research project aims to analyze some of the key reasons for Kuwait to pursue a privatization policy in higher education. More broadly, the project seeks to examine how various local and global processes have influenced the production of national policies of higher education in Kuwait. Using qualitative methods of policy research, this project examines some of the internal and external pressures that led to the production of a privatization policy in the Kuwaiti system of higher education in 2000. Particular reference is made to the Private Universities Law (PUL) (34/2000) in an attempt to explain how this policy was developed, who were its main architects, and what interests does the policy now serves. The research supports the conclusion that privatization is not a necessary outcome of globalization, but that the production of higher education privatization policies in Kuwait has involved a complex interplay of both local and global factors, with contextual realities playing a crucial role not only in the introduction of these policies but also in defining the form of privatization that is currently being implemented.
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ItemGlobal agendas- local realities: challenges surrounding teacher capacity development in Cambodia( 2014)This study seeks to examine the challenges of teacher capacity development in the aftermath of events in Cambodia in the 1970s, which witnessed the decimation of its teaching force and the virtual destruction of its education system. These events continue to impact upon current education policies and practice in Cambodia. Since the 1990s the Ministry of Education, with its Development Partners, has developed a series of policies, drawing upon the global agenda for education reform, to address its most pressing concern of developing a ‘quality’ education system through teacher capacity development. Against this backdrop, this study is prompted by a widespread view that, despite the best of intentions, a succession of policies has failed to develop required levels of teacher capacity. It is designed to understand why teachers often enact policy in ways contrary to those envisaged by policy makers. The data upon which this study explores the challenges of teacher capacity development in Cambodia is based on research conducted in three government primary schools located in three different regions to reflect the geographical differences and the types of places where Cambodian children attend school: urban, rural and remote locations. Data collection sources include: semi-structured interviews, focus groups, a questionnaire, and documentary analysis. In examining teacher capacity development the views of ministry officials at both central and provincial levels, expatriates working in the field of teacher capacity development, and the directors of the teacher training colleges are also taken into account. However, priority is given to the insights of those at the school level: principals, students and, in particular, teachers. The data indicates that in order to understand the complexities surrounding the challenges of teacher capacity development a more nuanced understanding of the policy-practice nexus is needed. In particular the findings suggest that the current perspective on the policy-practice nexus neither allows nor makes provision for teachers to define capacity, and in fact, does not enable capacity to be developed. Indeed, this confirms the thesis that the ways in which policy moves from formulation to enactment is neither static nor linear and must take into account a range of factors that influence and shape how actors enact policy. Findings also suggest that culture, local environment and the realities of teachers’ work need to be recognised and acknowledged as significant issues that impact upon teacher capacity development. Moreover the research indicates that an expanded view of resources is needed that takes into consideration the vital role of human resources that are developed on an on-going basis. This study suggests that however well policies are conceived or written, if the implementation strategy is not effective then the assumptions that this strategy makes about the policy-practice nexus need to be re-thought. For policy to be effective, it needs to allow the ultimate implementers of policy – the teachers – to be accorded a more significant role not only in the processes of policy implementation but also its development. To enable teacher capacity development to occur differently to what happens currently, the study proposes a model of teacher capacity development better suited to the Cambodian situation.
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ItemSystem leadership in Victoria, Australia( 2014)System leadership has emerged as a concept in work on educational leadership in recent years but is a concept with little empirical foundation. This research examines system leadership in the context of the jurisdiction of Victoria, Australia. The research finds that system leadership does exist in Victoria, but, significantly, that it does not manifest in ways anticipated in current literature and that school principals do not exhibit system leadership as a result of systemic structures and operations. Three research questions are posed: 1. To what extent is system leadership a feature of the Victorian education system and, if present, how is it manifested? 2. What are the operational relationships between leaders in the system and are these supporting the policy priorities of the DEECD? 3. To what extent is system leadership leading to school improvement? The research draws on interviews with three classes of leader (seven senior managers, thirteen Regional Network Leaders and eighteen principals). Using qualitative methods the research finds that system leadership is a feature of the Victorian education system and that operational relationships between leaders in Victoria support the achievement of DEECD policy priorities. The research finds little evidence of, although great potential for, school improvement resulting from system leadership. The research exposes a new and interconnective leadership role in Victoria operating between the DEECD and schools, the Regional Network Leader, and considers how these roles relate to promoting system leadership, particularly in the context of creating adaptive public policy and environments conducive to successful governance in post-industrial economies. A definition of system leadership is established and tested alongside a review of literature pertinent to the area of study.