Learning the ropes – the transition from a teacher to an administrator

Learning the ropes – the transition from a teacher to an administrator

• Kwan, Paula Chinese University of Hong Kong

School Leadership & Management, 39(5), 394-414, 2019

Routledge

2019

• R Educational Policy & Administration
  • RC Educational Planning & Decision Making Process, Educational Administration
• R Educational Policy & Administration
  • RH Supervisors, School Principals & Administrators

Teacher Education School Administration Socialization Big Data Peer Affirmation Principal's Sponsorship Socialisation Structural Feedback Mechanism Vice-Principals

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Unknown or Unspecified

New vice-principals (VPs) inevitably experience high levels of uncertainty when assuming the position, and undergo a process of socialisation, involving engaging with both professional and relational sources of support in schools, to adjust to their changing role. Drawing on socialisation theories, this exploratory study proposes that novice VPs would rely on the school's structural feedback mechanism, peer affirmation and principal's sponsorship in their adaptation process; the first of these is professionally oriented whereas the remaining two are relationally oriented. The study further argues that VPs would experience varying degrees of dependence on these factors corresponding to the stage of their development in the socialisation process. Findings of the study, informed by a Hong Kong data set covering VPs in their first, second, and third years of tenure respectively, support these propositions. Peer affirmation appears to be a continuous source of support to VPs in all tenure groups and it stands at odds with principal's sponsorship. The effects of the structural feedback mechanism and principal's sponsorship on VP's transition are only evident in the 2-year group, with the former being positive and the latter negative. Implications of the findings are discussed.
[Copyright of School Leadership & Management is the property of Routledge.]

• English

Journal Articles

• 13632434

• 10.1080/13632434.2018.1483912

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/40141b4e

2020-03-03