International schools as emotional arenas: facing the leadership challenges in a German context

221 Pages·2017·1.56 MB·English

by  Helen Kelly

International Schools as Emotional Arenas:
facing the leadership challenges in a German context
By
Helen Kelly
A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham
for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

School of Education
The University of Birmingham
October 2016
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Abstract
This study offers an understanding of the emotional challenges encountered by AGIS
(Association of German International Schools) head teachers in the course of their role; the
consequences and impacts these challenges have on their personal and professional lives
and the strategies they use to cope. This mixed methods study employs a questionnaire
survey of 34 AGIS leaders, plus semi-structured interviews with eight of them, to explore
their lived experiences in relation to the emotional demands they face. The findings show
that, in addition to the challenges experienced by heads in wider contexts, AGIS leaders face
demands specific to the multi-cultural context and transitional nature of international
schools. . They also highlight how school leaders may contribute to the challenges they
encounter through their poor understanding of the cultural contexts that they operate in.
The demands that heads face, may lead to a range of negative consequences and impacts
for many. The coping strategies upon which they draw, reflect the context in which heads
operate and their individual resilience capabilities. The study suggests a range of strategies
by which leadership-training providers, school boards and regional and local networks may
better support international school leaders. It is also suggested that international school
leaders take greater initiative for both their own cultural literacy and the development of
personal resilience capabilities. Such steps should reduce the demands placed on heads and
enable them to better withstand the challenges they face.
Dedication

To my husband Dave
we saw things clearer
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank the University of Birmingham for their support during my research,
particularly Chris Rhodes and Tom Bisschoff for their relaxed and jovial approach in Year 1
and for teaching me to eat the elephant bit by bit; Nick Peim for extending my knowledge
and expanding my mind in Year 2 and Graeme Martin for his valuable advice and support in
the supervision of my thesis.
I also wish to thank my former employers Berlin International School for generosity with
their financial support and study leave during Years 1 and 2 and to my former colleagues
there for their interest and encouragement.
I wish to acknowledge the community of AGIS school leaders who inspired me to begin this
journey, including those who took part in the questionnaire survey, but more importantly,
the 8 interview participants who gave up their time to share their stories with me. I remain
humbled by their honesty and resilience.
Finally, I want to thank my husband David Kelly for listening to my ramblings, offering advice
and keeping himself busy, to allow me the time to write up this thesis, during our motorcycle
road trip across the USA, Mexico and Central America in 2015-16
(www.sawthingsclearer.com)
TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES, CHARTS AND FIGURES ............................................................................... 11
TABLE OF APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... 12
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 13
1.1 OPENING ...................................................................................................................................................... 13
1.1 RATIONALE FOR STUDY ......................................................................................................................... 13
1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY ........................................................................................................................ 15
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS .............................................................................................................................. 16
1.5 CONTEXT OF RESEARCH AND POSITIONALITY ....................................................................................... 17
1.6 STRUCTURE AND OVERVIEW OF THESIS ................................................................................................. 17
1.7 CLOSING ....................................................................................................................................................... 21
CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................... 23
2.1 OPENING ...................................................................................................................................................... 23
2.2 DEVELOPMENT OF LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................... 24
2.3 DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS ...................................................................................................................... 25
Stress ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 25
Emotional Labour ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 25
Emotional Exhaustion ............................................................................................................................................................................... 25
Burnout ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 25
Emotional Arenas ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 26
Transition ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Cultural Dissonance ................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
International School ................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Association of German International Schools ................................................................................................................................. 29
International School Leader/Head/Head Teacher ....................................................................................................................... 30
2.4 HEAD TEACHER STRESS ............................................................................................................................. 30
2.5 THEORY OF EMOTION ................................................................................................................................ 33
2.6 THEORY OF EMOTIONAL LABOUR ............................................................................................................ 35
2.7 ORGANISATIONAL THEORY AND EMOTIONS ........................................................................................... 37
2.8 SCHOOLS AS “EMOTIONAL ARENAS” ....................................................................................................... 37
2.9 SCHOOL LEADERSHIP AS EMOTIONAL PRACTICE ................................................................................... 38
2.10 WHAT SCHOOL LEADERS FIND EMOTIONALLY CHALLENGING ......................................................... 41
2.10.1 Relationships .................................................................................................................................... 42
Relationships with staff ............................................................................................................................................................................ 42
Relationships with the Board and External Administrators .................................................................................................... 43
Relationships with Parents ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43
Other Relationship Factors ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43
2.10.2 The Nature of the Work ............................................................................................................... 44
2.10.3 Leadership Performance ............................................................................................................. 44
2.10.4 Isolation .............................................................................................................................................. 45
2.11 EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES IN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS .................................................................. 45
2.11.1 The Role of Transition .................................................................................................................. 46
Transition Theory ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 46
The Impact of Transition on Internationally Mobile Families and Third Culture Kids ................................................ 51
The Impact of Transition on Host Country Families .................................................................................................................... 54
The Impact of Transition on Staff ......................................................................................................................................................... 54
The Impact of Transition on the Head teacher ............................................................................................................................... 55
2.11.2 The Role of Cultural Dissonance .............................................................................................. 56
Theory of Culture ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 57
Cultural Dissonance in International Schools ................................................................................................................................. 64
2.12 THE CONSEQUENCES AND IMPACTS OF EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES ON SCHOOL LEADERS ........... 68
2.13 COPING WITH THE EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES ..................................................................................... 70
2.14 CLOSING .................................................................................................................................................... 72
CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, METHOD AND DESIGN .............................. 77
3.1 OPENING ...................................................................................................................................................... 77
3.2 ONTOLOGICAL/EPISTEMOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE AND METHODOLOGY ........................................... 78
3.2.1. Autoethnography ............................................................................................................................. 79
3.3 METHOD AND DESIGN ............................................................................................................................... 83
3.3.1 Mixed Methods Approach .............................................................................................................. 83
3.3.2 Questionnaire Design ....................................................................................................................... 84
3.3.3. Interview Design ............................................................................................................................... 87
The Semi-Structured Interview Approach ....................................................................................................................................... 87
Interviewing Peers ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 88
Interview Technique .................................................................................................................................................................................. 90
Sampling .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 92
Practicalities of Interview ....................................................................................................................................................................... 94
3.4 Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................................................ 95
3.4.1 Invitation to Participate ................................................................................................................................................................ 96
3.4.2 Potential risks to the participant ............................................................................................................................................... 96
3.4.3 Rights of the participant ................................................................................................................................................................ 98
3.4.4 Possible benefits of the research ............................................................................................................................................... 98
3.4.5 Confidentiality ................................................................................................................................................................................... 98
3.4.6 Dissemination of the research data .......................................................................................................................................... 99
3.4.7 Contact information ..................................................................................................................................................................... 100
3.5 Analysis of Data .................................................................................................................................. 100
3.5.1 Questionnaire Data ....................................................................................................................................................................... 100
3.5.2 Interview Data ................................................................................................................................................................................ 101
3.6 Issues Arising from the Research ................................................................................................ 105
3.7 Validity of the Study .......................................................................................................................... 107
3.8 Closing ..................................................................................................................................................... 109
CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS .............................................................................................................. 111
4.1 OPENING ................................................................................................................................................... 111
4.2 QUESTIONNAIRE FINDINGS ............................................................................................................. 111
4.3 INTERVIEW FINDINGS ............................................................................................................................. 118
4.3.1 Vignettes ............................................................................................................................................. 120
Vignette 1. .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 120
Subject- Participant 3-David ......................................................................................................................................................... 120
Vignette 2. .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 122
Participant 6-Jenny ............................................................................................................................................................................ 122
Vignette 3. .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 125
Participant 7-Cameron ..................................................................................................................................................................... 125
Vignette 4. .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 127
Participant 8- Peter ........................................................................................................................................................................... 127
4.3.2 Thematic Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 130
What International School Leaders Find Emotionally Challenging ................................................................................... 130
Relationships with Staff ............................................................................................................................................................... 130
Relationships with Senior Colleagues ................................................................................................................................. 133
Relationships with the Board and External Administrators .................................................................................. 134
Relationships with Parents ........................................................................................................................................................ 135
The Nature of the Work ............................................................................................................................................................... 137
Leadership Performance ............................................................................................................................................................. 138
Isolation ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 139
The Role of Transition .................................................................................................................................................................. 140
The Role of Cultural Dissonance ............................................................................................................................................. 143
The Consequences and Impacts of Emotional Challenges on School Leaders ............................................................... 145
Coping with the Emotional Challenges ........................................................................................................................................... 148
4.4.1 What International School Leaders Find Emotionally Challenging ........................ 153
4.4.2 The Consequences and Impacts of Emotional Challenges on School Leaders ..... 154
4.4.3 Coping with the Emotional Challenges ................................................................................. 154
4.5 CLOSING .................................................................................................................................................... 155
CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS ............................................................................... 156
5.1 OPENING ................................................................................................................................................... 156
5.2 WHAT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL LEADERS FIND EMOTIONALLY CHALLENGING? ........................ 156
5.2.1 Relationships .................................................................................................................................... 156
Relationships with Staff ......................................................................................................................................................................... 156
Relationships with Senior Colleagues ............................................................................................................................................. 158
Relationships with the Board and External Administrators ................................................................................................. 158
Relationships with Parents .................................................................................................................................................................. 159
Other Relationship Factors .................................................................................................................................................................. 160
5.2.2 The Nature of the Work ............................................................................................................... 160
5.2.3 Leadership Performance ............................................................................................................. 162
5.2.4 Isolation .............................................................................................................................................. 163
5.2.5 The Role of Transition .................................................................................................................. 164
The Impact of Transition on Internationally Mobile Families and Third Culture Kids ............................................. 164
The Impact of Transition on Staff ...................................................................................................................................................... 166
The Impact of Transition on the Head ............................................................................................................................................ 167
5.2.6 The Role of Cultural Dissonance .............................................................................................. 169
5.3 THE CONSEQUENCES AND IMPACTS OF EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES ON SCHOOL LEADERS ........... 174
5.4 COPING WITH THE EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES .................................................................................... 176
5.5 CLOSING .................................................................................................................................................... 179
CHAPTER 6. CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................... 180
6.1 OPENING ................................................................................................................................................... 180