6533b820fe1ef96bd1279bde
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Three orientations for understanding educational autonomy: school principals’ voices from Australia, Finland, and Jamaica
Laurette BristolJane WilkinsonHannu L. T. Heikkinensubject
johtaminenSociology and Political Sciencemedia_common.quotation_subjectpraxispäätöksentekoeducational leadershiprehtoritEducationEducational leadershipProfessional learning communityprofessional autonomy0502 economics and businessPedagogyschool autonomySociologymedia_commonPraxisautonomia05 social sciencesProfessional development050301 educationkäytäntöprofessional learningammatillinen kehityskouluhallinto0503 education050203 business & managementAutonomyprofessional developmentdescription
This paper reports on the findings from a multi-site case study conducted in Australia, Finland and Jamaica which explored the conditions that enabled and constrained the autonomy of school principals. Systematic data collection was carried out in the form of interviews of school principals and the data was analysed using a qualitative approach. The analysis indicates that: (1) school principals’ practices are prefigured by the peculiarities of historical trajectories and ideological traditions enmeshed in schooling sites; (2) these prefiguring arrangements in turn influence varying realisations of autonomous decision making practices across national sites; and (3) even in the expression of high/low levels of autonomy, there are contradictory and contested practices. Through the analysis, three different orientations to autonomy were found: a neoliberal market orientation, a professional practice orientation and an educational praxis orientation. peerReviewed
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-02-23 | Journal of Educational Administration and History |