Centralized Education System Research Articles

Why do teachers not change while the national curriculum repeatedly changes?: The ‘Hidden’ resistance of teachers in the centralized system of education in South Korea

In the highly centralized education system, national curriculum revisions are significant because they fundamentally change the direction and nature of schooling across the country. However, any new reform will inevitably be met by opposition and resistance from various stakeholders. While the notion of increased autonomy and empowerment is predicated on teachers’ participation, in practice, teachers are often unwilling to accept or even oppose curriculum changes. Using South Korea's recent national curriculum revision in 2022 as reference, this study draws attention to the fact that despite the revision of the national curriculum, teachers’ curriculum implementation has not changed as much as expected, and even show antipathy or resistance. Resistance in this context does not mean simple opposition but rather a phenomenon that involves and intervenes in the interpretive process of new policies, and the politics of the society that surrounds individuals and schools. I argue that Korean primary and secondary teachers’ reactions to the new national curriculum reflect complex orientations towards the curriculum and resistance to its revision, shaped by personal, organizational, and sociocultural contexts. With implications of the analysis for understanding teachers’ responses to national curriculum, I conclude that we need more pay attention to the dilemma as an ambivalent emotion teachers experience requires us to consider the dynamics when the national curriculum is implemented.

Do Chinese secondary schools develop global citizens?

ABSTRACT This paper examines the nature of global citizenship education in Chinese secondary schools by investigating what kind of global citizens these institutions try to develop in the twenty-first century. Drawing on qualitative data from six high schools in China, the study reveals a distinctive Chinese perspective shaping the understanding of global citizenship. Educators purposefully harmonise the attributes of global citizens with cultural and traditional values inherent to the Chinese context, actively seeking common ground while adhering to national government policies. The research underscores a deliberate effort to connect global citizenship with the necessity of adapting to international competition and China’s role in world leadership. Furthermore, notable variations emerge among schools in their conceptualisations of developing global citizens, reflecting diverse expectations aligned with the different strata of students within China’s highly centralised education system. This exploration provides insights into the nuanced nature of global citizenship education in Chinese secondary schools.

Navigating collaborative learning across national boundaries: a comparative study of educators’ perspectives in Israel and Turkey

The primary goal of the KIDS4ALLL project was to empower educators to foster a flexible, innovative, and collaborative learning environment within their classrooms. This article delves into teachers’ experiences with implementing collaborative learning during the KIDS4ALLL project. Additionally, it explores how teachers perceived the implementation of the KIDS4ALLL pilot in learning environments across different national educational settings, specifically in Israel and Turkey. Given that both Israel and Turkey have centralized education systems and adhere to a traditional teaching approach, the two research questions offer insights into how the national education context of both countries influences the implementation of the collaborative learning approach of KIDS4ALLL and the experiences of educators. The methodology employed in this study involved semi-structured interviews with 16 educators and participant observation during the two pilots. The findings highlight a sense of fear and uncertainty among educators regarding their ability to conduct lessons in an unfamiliar yet innovative and flexible learning environment. These feelings were accompanied by challenges such as technological and language barriers, sociocultural diversities, and occasional behavioral issues. The results also underscore similarities between the two countries, emphasizing that centralized education systems, teachers’ previous training, curriculum, and available physical space posed challenges to the pilot program’s implementation.

체코 교육의 전통과 의미

The Czech Republic has recognized the importance of education from an early age and has made efforts to establish concepts and ideas for this purpose. In the case of the Czech Republic, the main ideas of Czech education were established through the Middle Ages and the Baroque period, and that tradition was unified in the late 19th century and became the fundamental ideology of policy. Although this tradition was temporarily interrupted through the process of communism and changes occurred in Czech educational policies after the transition, the educational ideas and traditions that underlie them remain unchanged. The ideological and philosophical background of Czech education begins with Jan Hus, who set an example of the fundamental spirit of education, which is the restoration of humanity, and of putting this into practical action. And this idea developed through Petr Chelčický, who laid the framework for the idea of peace through ‘non-violence’. This development continues through J. A. Comenius(J. A. Komenský), who has the title of father of pedagogy, who emphasized the ‘pan-educational thinking’ that humans can and should be educated without conditions, regardless of gender, race, and ethnicity. His ‘peace education ideology’ and pedagogical theory and system became the starting point for creating ‘international cooperation and system’ in education. The ‘humanistic ideas’ and efforts toward education that they emphasized have been passed down to modern President T. G. Masaryk, and form the core ideas of Czech education in the future, and have a powerful influence in forming the consciousness and identity of the Czech people. When the Czech Republic became a Soviet bloc, there was a time when it deviated from its traditions and legacy, such as the centralized education system, but after the reform, it sought to return to an essential and fundamental system, and the change was also based on the spirit of Hus and Comenius of the past.

Examining the mediating role of teacher professional learning between perceived instructional leadership and teacher instructional practices

AbstractInstructional leadership has begun to be examined as an essential factor in school development research. It has received considerable attention, especially in developing countries, in recent years. This study examined the relationship between school principals' instructional leadership and teacher instructional practices and the mediating role of teacher professional learning. A cross‐sectional survey design was adopted in the study, and the participants were 385 elementary and middle school teachers working in a city in western Türkiye. The data were analysed through structural equation modelling. Findings demonstrated that instructional leadership significantly predicted teacher instructional practices and teacher professional learning. Findings also highlighted teacher professional learning as a significant mediator between instructional leadership and teacher instructional practices. This study confirmed that instructional leadership can strengthen teacher instructional practice and professional learning in a centralized education system.

Uncovering the role of principals in enhancing teacher professional learning in a centralized education system

PurposeCurrent school leadership research has primarily utilized quantitative methods to explore the relationship between leadership and teacher learning. However, there is a notable gap in understanding how principals facilitate professional learning, especially in centralized educational settings. This study aims to address this gap by examining the role of school leadership in enhancing teacher professional learning within a highly centralized education system.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative case study delves into the lived experiences of 15 teachers and eight school leaders in eight primary schools in Mashhad, Iran. Through semistructured interviews, researchers employed open and axial coding to systematically explore and categorize qualitative data. The study focuses on understanding the role of principal leadership in facilitating teacher professional learning by connecting themes and sub-themes across transcripts.FindingsEffective principals worked on the cultivation of a culture that champions perpetual personal growth and development, the nurturing of a collaborative learning community, and the provision of essential resources and support. Findings showed the pivotal role of principals in promoting teachers' self-development, facilitating idea exchange and acknowledging their efforts. Principals appeared as key to encouraging information sharing, fostering collective learning, promoting professional development, overseeing teaching practices and ensuring the availability of resources to cultivate a supportive climate in a centralized education context.Originality/valueWe concluded that in centralized education, leadership practices for promoting teacher learning share similarities and differences with decentralized settings. The findings offer guidance for principals in centralized systems, supporting them in facilitating teacher professional learning in their schools.

The organisational context of middle management role behaviour in Hungarian schools

ABSTRACT Growing evidence suggests that the effectiveness of a school’s operations is determined not by a single leader, but by a community of leaders. Middle managers can coordinate processes in formal positions and lead informal groups, facilitating the realisation of leadership goals. This study utilises a large-scale survey to analyse middle managers’ perceptions of organisational learning and discuss their additional supporting roles and responsibilities considering organisational-level contingency variables in a centralised education system (Hungary). How can middle management function in a centralised educational system? How can it act as a ‘bridge’ and support organisational and individual learning? Our findings reveal that middle managers perceive leadership similarly to school staff (i.e. in terms of learning organisational behaviour), while principals’ perceptions significantly differ. The study examined teachers’ perceptions of organisational learning in various positions according to school size and type. It was found that middle managers play a more prominent role in smaller schools compared to larger ones, as they are more likely to utilise their strategic role in contexts with a more cohesive community. These findings suggest that the function of middle management should be better exploited in larger organisations.

Investigation of the factors affecting the curriculum fidelity of teachers working at different types of schools


 
 
 
 
 The purpose of this study is to examine the factors affecting the curriculum fidelity of teachers working in different types of school. In the study, case study design from qualitative research designs was used. The participants of the study werre teachers working in primary, secondary and high school types in publice school affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in rural district in a province located in the Northers Anatolia region of Türkiye in the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. The participants was determined by convenient sampling method. The data of the study were obtained through a semi-structured interview form. The research data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method in accordance with qualitative research and findings were determined. While determining the findings, themes and categories were obtained and direct quotations were included to reflect the teachers' opinions. As a result of the research; It was determined that they expressed the opinion that curriculum characteristics, institutional characteristics, student characteristics, geographical conditions, family structure, social development of students, centralized education system, high-stakes tests, and pre-service and in-service training that teachers receive affect teachers' curriculum fidelity.
 
 
 

School-Based Teacher Professional Development Framework (SBTPDF): A Blueprint for School Principals in Nigeria

There is a growing body of knowledge on effective Teacher Professional Development (TPD), with a consensus that skews in favour of decentralised, school-based and teacher-centred approach to TPD as opposed to the centralised, traditional and top-down approach. On the contrary, developing countries such as Nigeria still practise a centralised education system where traditional top-down TPD remains the norm, with the attendant consequence of professionally deficient teachers in the classroom. This situation has left a deficiency in centralised district/cluster-based teacher development. This study explored teachers’ and school administrators’ perceptions on the existing effectiveness TPD, with a view to developing a school-based TPD framework that caters for teachers’ professional needs. The study was a qualitative multiple-case study informed by the interpretivist paradigm. The study used, as its lenses, two complementary theories: Distributed Leadership Theory (DLT) and Adult Learning Theory (ALT). Three schools were selected using the purposive sampling technique. Four participants were selected from each school using a combination of purposive and snowball techniques. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using the Thematic Analysis (TA) procedure. The findings revealed that one-size-fit-all centralised schools cluster TPD no longer meet the professional needs of teachers. The result also showed that participants preferred school-based teachers’ professional development to centralised approach. Hence, the study proposed a data-informed and theory-driven model known as School-Based Teacher Professional Development Framework (SBTPDF) as a blue-print for the implementation of school-based TPD for school administrators.

Transformational school leadership: a systematic review of research in a centralized education system

PurposeThis study intends to systematically review empirical evidence on transformational school leadership (TSL) in a centralized educational context.Design/methodology/approachThe study includes a topographical mapping and a narrative review of thirty-seven research articles published in Turkey between 2000 and 2021. The review strategy included systematically searching the Turkish Academic Network and Information Center (ULAKBIM) and Scopus. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram guided the review and reporting process.FindingsThree key themes emerged: (1) perceptions, attitudes and behaviors; (2) psychological resources, learning and innovation and (3) school climate and culture. The results indicated that the research evidence on TSL in the review did not correspond well with the evidence on TSL in non-Western contexts. The authors also discussed the state of research narratively to provide an overview of the topical foci and methodological and conceptual trends.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, although the databases of the study are claimed to be regularly updated locally, these two search databases may inevitably have missed some journal articles relevant to the inclusion criteria. A possible solution is to include more databases like ERIC, PsycArticles, SAGE, ScienceDirect, PsycINFO, Web of Science and ProQuest. Second, the authors decided to limit the exploration of journal articles on transformative leadership to peer-reviewed journal articles. The authors might have missed a wider range of insights available in book chapters, books, research papers, dissertations and gray literature. Third, as there were many levels of research foci, the authors did the coding on research foci and methods. However, the approach may not allow authors to explore the relationships between research foci and method design. One possible solution is to do all coding in one file so that more complex analysis can follow. Finally, the authors agree that TSL is only one leadership style that is related to leadership effectiveness and that effective leadership is multi-faceted and requires a combination of leadership styles. Accordingly, the evidence in the study sheds light on only one dimension of leadership effectiveness.Originality/valueOur review is part of an effort to demonstrate the importance of a culturally-situated understanding of TSL and to develop a globally validated knowledge base. It identifies and summarizes research in a non-Western school context defined by centrality, lack of autonomy and accountability.

Centralised and Decentralised Education: With the British Local Educational Authorities as the Representative of the Unfolding Discussion

In todays globalised and knowledge-based society, countries across the world are increasingly adopting different models to structure and organise their education systems. More subtly, countries are transitioning from centralised education systems to decentralised ones to create more local stakeholder influence on schools. England, which is known for self-managing schools, is a case in point. Striking an appropriate balance between centralisation and decentralisation remains a challenge, however. In this regard, this study sought to explore the innovative approaches of educational decentralisation in British local educational authorities and the challenges facing them, as well as the strategies adopted by British local educational authorities to overcome these challenges so as to provide reference to other countries. Desk-based research was used for data collection. The findings suggest that although a centralised education system is praised for reducing inequalities and standardisation, it often fails to reflect the specific needs of learners because the system is not school-led. On the other hand, a decentralised educational system is preferred in England for many reasons, including better information and targeting, greater voice and participation, innovative and creative approaches, and improved efficiency and strengthened accountability relationships. Despite this, however, it may encourage social inequalities, in addition to being captive of some elite groups or special interest groups. England adopts devolution as its approach to educational decentralisation. In addition to this general approach, school-based management is particularly used to empower local educators, students, and parents. However, the countrys education system is littered with educational inequalities. The system can also be captive of elite groups.

Exploring Distributed Leadership Practice in Nigerian Secondary Schools

A growing body of research on distributed leadership shows that it effectively improves school effectiveness in developed economies. However, due to centralized education systems, the full benefits of distributed school leadership have not been fully appropriated in developing economies. This study investigates the realities of distributed leadership practices as applicable in selected Nigerian secondary schools. Lensed with Distributed Leadership Theory, the study is located in the qualitative strand of the interpretivist paradigm. In a case study research design, a combination of purposeful and snowballing sampling techniques was adopted in selecting twelve participants comprising three school administrators and nine classroom teachers who participated in semi-structured interviews. The results show that distributed leadership is perceived and practised as delegation and distribution of roles by the superordinate to the subordinate in a manner inconsistent with the principles of distributed leadership theory. It was also revealed that teachers with no formal portfolio were assigned leadership responsibilities. Lastly, the findings showed that participants acknowledged the existence of the School Management Team in their school. Still, most are unaware of their roles in school leadership and how they impacted their jobs. Recommendations were made based on the findings.
 
 Received: 21 September 2022 / Accepted: 17 February 2022 / Published: 5 March 2023

“I am Sámi, but I am not a Sámi”

This article gives voice to coastal Sámi students and explores their negotiations over being Sámi or Norwegian within the Norwegian education system. Through interviews, students share insights on the extent to which education focuses on Sámi issues and reflect upon their identity. The article explores how youths negotiate personal identity within pre-existing structures by employing Archer’s theory on structure and agency as a backdrop. The changing phases in how ‘western’ societies view indigenous practices and knowledges are applied together with (de)colonial perspectives to understand (colonial) structures. Some key findings are that the coastal Sámi students’ identity negotiations are complex, as official discourses seem to restrict them from identifying as ‘real’ Sámi, and that the local Sámi is within a discursive void due to unintended consequences resulting from the unification in the centralised education system. In focusing on students and using the educational system as a backdrop, this article seeks to deepen the understanding of how society and the educational system in particular condition students’ notions of what it entails to be Sámi and how students negotiate their identity.

A Autonomia Curricular nos Sistemas Educativos de Portugal e do Canadá

ABSTRACT Many authors argue that autonomy is nonexistent in a centralized education system, given that it is a characteristic of decentralization, whereas schools in a decentralized education system have more autonomy. The researchers compare the level of curriculum autonomy granted to schools in a centralized system (Portugal) and to those in a decentralized system (Canada), based on interviews and content analysis of those responsible for the administration and organization of schools. It appears that, in the Portuguese case, there is some school autonomy, essentially centered on the collective, although teachers do not recognize or take ownership thereof. In the Canadian case, autonomy is granted on an individual basis to each teacher.

Roma tanulók oktatása - pedagógusi attitűdök, típusok

"In this paper I present a chapter of my research on the attitudes of teachers in Roma-majority classrooms and schools. These research findings are part of a broader study. The aim of my research is to typologize the attitudes of teachers based on interviews conducted with them, and to interpret these attitudes in the context of the social environment (educational policy, majority-minority relations) and the school as an organization. Based on interviews with the teachers involved in the research, I have distinguished three main patterns of attitudes: the childcentred, the rule-abiding and the conflicted. In the teachers' attitudes, certain dimensions of these types are blended by different factors. In the schools included in the research, most of the teachers interviewed belong to the “conflicted” category, who are essentially “floundering” in the narrow margins of the centralised education system, trying to take into account the different cultural and social situations of the pupils, while at the same time trying to comply with the curriculum, the regulations and the expectations of the examination system."

Decentralized School Management in Government Schools in Nepal: Policy for Quality Improvement

This research article gives a holistic view of the status of school management committee in our country. Education is one of the basic needs of human beings which has brought changes all over the world. Today, we are around the formal schooling system for which school level is the first step. We are also in the hold of globalization of education and social structure for which we have to compete globally for employment. In such situation, the system and management of education should be of global standard. School management has been a kind of burning issue at the present situation in education system. The state has to follow the trends of decentralization of education. But in Nepal, there is fully centralized education system. Due to this reason, it is thought that the state is the only responsible body for overall education sector. The SMC members are not fully authentic bodies in Nepalese schools. They have no more interest about the problems related to school. They are mostly politically related and also there is absence of true guardianship of SMC members. Most of the SMC members' children do not study in public schools but they are selected with political sources. As a whole school management committee has not supported for the improvement of teaching learning activities. They have no any plan to raise funds and support the school. Most of the children in public schools are also from lower class people. The guardians also cannot support their children by providing necessary things. As a consequence, the SLC result of public schools is very poor except some rare cases. SMC members are not found capable of taking management responsibility of schools. The state also has not fixed any criteria to become SMC members. This research study has found clear obstacle in education system of the politicalized group in management sector. Political interference should not be given emphasis and priority in education sector. Moreover, politics in education sector should be strongly discouraged to make public sector responsible towards school management in public schools in Nepal. This research study tries to reply the research question “What type of management at schools should be developed to improve the quality of education?” The general objective of this study is to analyse the overall status of the school management committee (SMC) in public schools in Nepal.

Empowering principals to conduct classroom observations in a centralized education system: does it make a difference for teacher self-efficacy and instructional practices?

PurposeIn 2014, Turkish policymakers implemented a policy change in the school inspection system that encouraged school principals to conduct classroom observations and provide feedback to teachers as a means to improve teaching. However, the question of whether or to what extent such feedback has an impact on teaching has not previously been researched. The study presented in this article scrutinizes the relationship between classroom observation feedback from principals and teachers’ classroom practices, as well as the mediating role of teachers’ self-efficacy in terms of instructional practices, student engagement and classroom management.Design/methodology/approachConfirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling are employed to examine the relationship among principals’ feedback, teacher self-efficacy and teachers’ instructional practices using data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), compiled by the OECD in 2018.FindingsThese analyses indicate a small but significant direct correlation between principals’ feedback and teachers’ instructional practices, as well as an indirect relationship mediated by teacher self-efficacy in instructional practices.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings support the policy shift in Turkey by concluding that classroom observation feedback from principals makes contributions to the improvement of instructional practices.Originality/valueThis study establishes a connection between teachers’ classroom practices and leadership behaviors, which has not been extensively researched in developing nations.

State‐based curriculum making in Turkey: Curriculum modernization initiative and the latest science curriculum

AbstractTurkey's politically induced ‘curricular modernization initiative’ intended a philosophical change and a system‐level transformation from behaviouristic to constructivist‐inspired pedagogies in the early 2000s. Science curriculum has been one of the curricula that has taken precedence. It has changed four times since then. The latest science curriculum for grades 3–8 – age group 9–13 – is issued in 2018. This study examines these curricula and discusses curriculum making at the macro site. Whether or to what extent the tools of state‐based curriculum making (ToSBCM) are used is also investigated. Directed content analysis and thematic analysis are used to address the research questions. Findings revealed that Turkey's latest science curriculum is a reformulation of its predecessors' goals, learning outcomes and content. ToSBCM are effectively used in introducing the new emphases of curriculum, managing discourse communities and granting the executive responsibility to teachers. Considering Turkey's curricular experiences as a country which has one of the most centralized education systems among OECD countries, and a very large hierarchical national administration with schools having the lowest levels of autonomy in determining curriculum and assessment policies among countries participating in PISA, findings offer opportunities to compare and discuss processes of curriculum making with an international perspective.

Teachers’ Professional Collaboration in Turkey: Current Status, Barriers and Suggestions

There are few studies examining teachers’ attitudes towards collaboration and the situation in practice in a centralized education system. In this research, teachers’ attitudes towards professional collaboration and collaboration behaviours in Turkey were examined via mixed method research. The data were collected from 274 teachers for the quantitative part and the qualitative part consisted of 53 teachers as participants. According to the results, teachers have a positive attitude towards collaboration. However, these positive attitudes are reflected in behaviours at a lower level. When it comes to professional collaboration, teachers immediately think of the work which is carried out with teachers in the same branch. With the effect of the centralized system, teachers in the study defined official meetings or working groups as collaboration activities. They mostly collaborate on the issues such as ‘educational activities and personality development of students’. They also indicated informal conversations and daily conversations as collaboration. According to the teachers, professional collaboration studies make important contributions to the school climate in general, increase teachers’ job satisfaction, motivation, performance and their sense of belonging. Moreover, teachers also stated that these studies improve the problem-solving skills of the school and they are beneficial to the students as well.

National Science Curriculum Documents in Türkiye and The United States: Comparison in terms of Scope and Detail

The processes of educational planning and program development at the local and national levels differ in centralized and decentralized educational systems. In Türkiye, there is a centralized education system, and curricula are created centrally to include all students. In the United States of America, there is a nationally disseminated curriculum framework for science education and a set of standards developed in accordance with these frameworks, while curriculum development continues at the local level based on these two national documents. Seeing how the curricula are designed in the different systems and what details they provide to teachers would be a source for designing curriculum development policies. The purpose of this study is to provide a comparative description of the scope of curriculum documents and the details of the information they contain in two different systems. The research is a comparative, holistic, multi-case study conducted by analyzing curriculum documents at the national level. As a result of the research, national curriculum documents for science education in the United States contain comprehensive descriptions of expected outcomes and content, even as curriculum development continues to occur at the local level. In contrast, Türkiye's science curriculum describes expected outcomes and content in less detail. The outcomes are discussed in terms of curriculum elements, system diversity, and literature.