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Media Portrayals of the Principalship and Their Influence on Current School Leaders

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Media Portrayals of the Principalship and Their Influence on Current School Leaders MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF THE PRINCIPALSHIP AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON CURRENT SCHOOL LEADERS DAVID CAMERON HAUSEMAN SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION NIPISSING UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION NORTH BAY, ONTARIO © David Cameron Hauseman June 2010 Library and Archives Bibliothèque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l’édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-66779-8 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-66779-8 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L’auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l’Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L’auteur conserve la propriété du droit d’auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protège cette thèse. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author’s permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformément à la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privée, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont été enlevés de thesis. cette thèse. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n’y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. Abstract This study examines how school leaders have been portrayed in 50 films and television programs and investigates whether the media are grounding their portrayals of the principalship in reality, or if it is disseminating a new definition of the role that could have detrimental effects on current school leaders who occupy the position in real life. In order to determine the authenticity of the film and television representations of school leadership included in the study, the actions, duties and roles of these media principals were observed and compared to those expected to be performed by competent school leaders on a daily basis. It also provides an excellent foundation for a number of next steps in the research process including screening these films and television programs to an audience to determine the extent to which these portrayals contribute to the public‟s perception of the principalship and the school system as a whole. iv Acknowledgements Both the most heartfelt and genuine thanks are reserved for my family. My wonderful parents should be commended for always supporting and encouraging me to pursue my dreams – no matter how outlandish or heedless they appeared at first glance. Jaime, I could not ask for a better sister. Thank you for always being there for me. I could not have accomplished this task in such a condensed time span without the unwavering love and guidance I received from all of you. My thesis supervisor, Dr. Paul Begley, also deserves a great deal of thanks both in regards to the completion of this paper and for allowing me a number of opportunities to grow as both a scholar and a person. You are a class act. Thank you for your mentorship and sharing your expertise during the course of my adventures in graduate school. I would also like to acknowledge the time and effort spent by my remarkable committee members throughout this process. Thank you to Dr. Carolyn Crippen, Dr. Ron Wideman and Dr. Heather Rintoul for all your support, guidance and constructive criticism. All of it has been much appreciated. A massive thank you is also reserved for all of my friends and colleagues at Nipissing University‟s Brantford campus. It was a privilege to work with such a talented and creative group of educators. I would be remiss not to thank Professor Mark Wilson. I am forever in your debt for igniting in me a passion for theatre, film and the arts as a whole during my time as an undergraduate student at York University. This undertaking would not have been possible otherwise. A special thank you is also reserved for the people who made the films and television programs included in this study and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program. v Table of Contents Abstract................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements........... ...................................................................................................... v Table of Contents........... ........................................................................................................ vi List of Appendices................................................................................................................ viii List of Tables and Figures........................................................................................................ix Chapter One: Introduction and Rationale for the Study Rationale ............................................................................................................................... 2 Research Questions ............................................................................................................... 3 Significance........................................................................................................................... 3 Organization.......................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter Two: A Review of the Relevant Literature The Media as a Socialization Agent .................................................................................... 7 Examining Representations of Educators in Films and Television Programs .................... 11 Depictions of Principals on Film ........................................................................................ 15 The Role of the Principal .................................................................................................... 18 Visions of Successful School Leadership ........................................................................... 22 Alterrnate Images of Effective School Leadership ............................................................. 29 The Influence of Social Expectations on Principals and their Leadership Practices .......... 31 Chapter Three: Methodology Context.................................................................................................................................35 Research Design.................................................................................................................. 36 Conceptual Framework ....................................................................................................... 38 Data Collection ................................................................................................................... 41 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 43 Critical Analysis Using Deconstruction Theory ................................................................. 43 Reliability and Validity ....................................................................................................... 44 Ethics and Limitations ........................................................................................................ 47 Chapter Four: Findings Research Question #1: In what ways are principals depicted in the media? ...................... 51 Research Question #2: Do these portrayals mirror the actions, duties and roles of their real- life counterparts?................................................................................................................. 70 Research Question #3: What Implications do these Media Portrayals Have for Current School Leaders .................................................................................................................... 82 Summary ............................................................................................................................. 87 Chapter Five: Conclusions and Implications Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 90 Implications for Current School Leaders ............................................................................ 94 Next Steps and Implications for Future Research............................................................... 96 A Final Word ...................................................................................................................... 99 vi References............................................................................................................................. 101 vii List of Appendices Appendix
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