‘Good practice’ school advisors in Greek education: the difficulty in linking collaborative networks, communities of practice and quality culture

Abstract

Quality in education is considered to be a central aim as far as the formation and the implementation of educational policy worldwide is concerned. The basic prerequisite for it, though, is quality culture. Collaborative networks between school advisors and primary school teachers are examined to reveal how they can affect the formation of communities of practice and then a quality culture. The technical tools of grounded theory and semi-structured interviews are used for the investigation of collaborative networks and their connection to communities of practice. School advisors and primary school teachers who worked together in forming collaborative networks displayed common characteristics such as a belief in the value of constant effort for improvement, the importance of introspection, common reading material, and a sense of trust. Individuals with shared goals and visions can form communities of practice which will then work as fashioners and multipliers of a quality culture.