Introduction
Project Leader
Dr. Yeow-Tong CHIA, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney
Collaborative Partner
Dr. Hei-hang Hayes TANG
Project Details
This project compares and contrasts the introductions of the National Education program in Singapore in 1997 and the Moral and National Education initiative in Hong Kong in 2012. In Singapore, the introduction of “National Education” met with little resistance yet the introduction of MNE faced unprecedented and tremendous opposition amongst Hong Kong’s students, parents, and the public.
By comparing “National Educations” in both jurisdictions, this project offers an interesting case study on the dynamics and dialectics of top-down and bottom up approaches to citizenship and citizenship education.
Project Leader
Dr. Ilkka KAUPPINEN, Docent, Senior Lecturer, Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Collaborative Partner
Dr. Hei-hang Hayes TANG
Project Details
A global multilevel governance system is currently emerging and this is reflected in how multidimensional regional integration is taking place around the world and higher education is one of these aspects.
This explanatory sociological research project examines the regionalisation of higher education through three case studies; the European Research Area (ERA), the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), and the East Asian Higher Education Area (EAHEA).
This project will advance studies on regionalisation of higher education by introducing a novel theoretical and methodological approach to explain what types of social mechanisms have brought about regionalisation of higher education.
Project Leader
Prof. CHENG, Yin Cheong
Collaborative Partners
Australia: Prof. Brian CALDWELL ( Educational Transformations Pty Ltd; Australia Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority)
Israel: Prof. Adam NIR (Jerusalem University)
England: Prof. Toby GREANY (Institute of Education, University College London)
Finland: Prof. Toni SAARIVIRTA (University of Tampere)
Canada: Prof. Paul NEWTON ( University of Saskatchewan)
Singapore: Prof. David HUNG (National Institute of Education, Nanyang University of Technology)
Project Details
This project aims to:
Develop a theoretical base for understanding how school autonomy influences leadership practices in relation to curriculum and learning in the 21st Century; and
Investigate empirically (a) what aspects of structural autonomy are the most influential on leadership practices in relation to professional learning and student learning; (b) how school leaders consistently utilise their autonomy to enhance student outcomes and develop staff capacity; (c) how the school system builds cultures of autonomy; and (d) how accountability structures support or constrain development of cultures of autonomy.
Project Leader
Dr. BRYANT, Darren Anthony [EPL]
Collaborative Partner
Prof. WALKER, Allan David [APCLC,EPL,FEHD]
Prof. SPILLANE, James *
Dr. ALVIAR, Theresa Patricia B [C&I]
* Investigator from an outside institution/organization
Project Details
This research focuses on middle leaders’ interaction with senior leaders, other middle leaders, and informal leaders, and the tools and routines that they employ when engaging in these interactions.
By framing the study around distributive leadership in IB continuum schools we will identify leadership practices, materials, resources and routines that middle leaders use and develop to support their practice. This will also help identify the impact of contextual factors, such as participation in the IB continuum, that aid or impede effective leadership distributions.
This study aims to:
Identify the impact of facilitating and impeding factors on distributive leadership. This could inform future revisions of IB standards and practices, the IB leadership framework and corresponding professional development, and so enhance leadership capacity. Given the recent thrust of the IB in the leadership arena, research that accounts for the impact of context, including the influence of IB mandates and structures, is essential;
Identify specific middle leadership practices, including tools and routines, that show how middle leaders interact with formal and informal leaders and teachers. An evaluation of these practices and interactions can serve to document exemplars of effective IB leadership practice that can inform professional learning as well as provide examples of practice for use in other IB schools; and
Develop a line of research on leadership in IB schools. This is sorely lacking in the literature. A distributed perspective permits an improved understanding of how leaders work together and of how context shapes leadership distribution. This will suggest context-relevant strategies that support middle leaders in their work.