Interpreting International Mindedness in Dutch State-funded International Schools: an educational leadership perspective

Abstract

This article focuses on the challenges faced by educational leaders of international schools in conceptualising international mindedness. Further articles are planned which will focus on how the wider social and school context influence educational leaders’ promotion of international mindedness, and on why educational leaders are drawn to values-leadership models in its promotion. The use of the term international mindedness has grown significantly over the last thirty years. It is now in common usage in many international schools (Hayden et al, 2015), and is used specifically by both the International Baccalaureate and the International Primary Curriculum to describe the core values that underpin the educational programmes they offer. It is a broad concept whose advocates claim it encapsulates the values and ideals of international education that seek to promote greater global understanding and awareness (Hill, 2014). However, the value and appropriateness of the term remain contested (Haywood, 2015; Savva and Stanfield, 2018). There is also a growing body of literature that has highlighted the importance of educational leaders in promoting school-wide values (Hallinger and Huber, 2012; Day et al, 2016). If we are to better understand the significance of international mindedness to the wider field of international schools, we need to develop a greater awareness of what shapes educational leaders’ understanding of a core value such as international mindedness, and what it is they hope to achieve within the wider social and school context within which they are operating. The first section of this article explores how international mindedness is conceptualised and the current debates surrounding it, presenting a conceptual framework for international mindedness that draws on academic literature from the wider field of international education. The second section is based on empirical research carried out into educational leadership in a group of international schools.