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Tilburg University How might appreciative school leadership meet the needs of 21st century schools? An initial inquiry Fifield, J.L. Publication date: 2013 Link to publication in Tilburg University Research Portal Citation for published version (APA): Fifield, J. L. (2013). How might appreciative school leadership meet the needs of 21st century schools? An initial inquiry. [s.n.]. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 28. sep. 2021 How Might Appreciative School Leadership Meet the Needs of 21st Century Schools? An Initial Inquiry Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan Tilburg University op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof. dr. Ph. Eijlander, in het openbaar te verdedigen ten overstaan van een door het college voor promoties aangewezen commissie in de Ruth First zaal van de Universiteit op maandag 13 mei 2013 om 14.15 uur door Jeffery Lyman Fifield geboren op 13 september 1961 te Rutland, Vermont, USA Promotores: Prof.dr. J.B. Rijsman Prof.dr. M. Schiller Overige commissieleden: Prof.dr. S. McNamee Prof.dr. M. Gergen Prof.dr. J.Poisquet Dr. L. Schoenmakers DEDICATION In the spirit of Wonder, Inquiry, Learning and Growth … I wish the same forever and ever for my daughter, Alexis as she continues on her own path … Siempre por Aquellas - Las Bellas - y Las Queridas de mi Vida . ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am appreciative of … The patience, support, and encouragement of my wife, Rosalina, and my daughter, Alexis, as they have indulged me this pursuit in making meaning. The meaningful experiences shared together at CM with Sherry, Aida T., Maribel, Aida Z., and Stacy in the spirit of creating from a simple Hey! Listen To This! The bar that Marge Schiller, as my advisor has set for me, and her advocacy for appreciative practices in education. The magical way that Rodney Merrill was able to wend my words into something so much more palatable and inviting. Those who have joined me in the formative learning ventures. iii LOS CINTURONES By Alana McConnon We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone, and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something. - Sandra Day O’Connor We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing. - Louisa May Alcott To work magic is to weave the unseen forces into form; to soar beyond; to explore the uncharted dream realm of the hidden reality. - Starhawk iv ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to explore how Appreciate Leadership might meet the needs of 21st Century schools, using the Core Administration Team members of Colegio Maya (2002-2008) the American International School of Guatemala (CM) as a case study. Team members were asked to describe their “high point experiences” as school leaders at CM. This research project enquires into the essence of Appreciative School Leadership and reveals how CM core administrators envision using Appreciative Leadership for the future of schools, while referencing CM. This study seeks to remedy the current scarcity of research on Appreciative Leadership by exploring successful contextual Appreciative School Leadership practices and seeking to understand the conditions that sustain and extend the application of AL (Appreciative Leadership) in a school environment. The design methodology is qualitative. Specifically, it is an autoenthnographic participant observer case study grounded in the assumptions of social constructionism. Appreciative Inquiry (AI), an action research strategy congruent with social constructionism, orients research toward the study of organizational strengths and successes rather than its deficits and failures. Participants were guided through an Appreciative Inquiry Team Learning Process using the four stages (Define, Discover, Dream and Design) of a 5-D Appreciative Inquiry. Participants were asked to volunteer for semi-structured interviews and focus groups, and to create documents for cross-validation and triangulation of concepts. A typological data analysis of CM school leaders’ Appreciative School Leadership practices was compiled using the themes and formative ideas of Appreciative Leadership. The analyzed data revealed that: (1) the process of conducting an Appreciative Inquiry into school leadership resulted in the CM Core Administration Team members feeling empowered in their future work; (2) CM Core Administration Team members had used Appreciative Leadership concepts to create a generative holistic school learning community; (3) the CM Core Administration Team describes optimal leadership strategies for the future that are congruent with Appreciative Leadership; and (4) the CM Core Administration Team recommends that school communities interested in shared school leadership adopt Appreciative Inquiry as the preferred approach/framework (for school leadership). The findings documented a successful Appreciative Leadership inquiry with CM core administration from a set period of time and suggested the grounded ecological conditions needed for the use of Appreciative School Leadership in the future. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ..................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..................................................................................................................... iii LOS CINTURONES............................................................................................................................. iv ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................................... v A PROLOGUE.................................................................................................................................... 1 OTRA VEZ (ONCE AGAIN) ............................................................................................................. 2 PERO, POR QUE? ......................................................................................................................... 3 APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY ............................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER ONE: ISSUES AND ORIENTATIONS ................................................................................... 6 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY ..................................................................................................... 6 EDUCATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY - LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE.................................. 6 SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ............................................................................................................... 7 SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION IN EDUCATION ................................................................................. 8 APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY AND ITS APPLICATION IN EDUCATION .............................................. 9 DEFINING APPRECIATIVE LEADERSHIP .................................................................................. 10 PROBLEM STATEMENT .............................................................................................................. 10 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY ........................................................................................................... 11 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY .................................................................................................... 12 OVERVIEW OF METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................. 12 UNIT OF ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................... 12 DATA ANALYSIS.......................................................................................................................... 13 RESEARCH QUESTIONS .............................................................................................................. 13 OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................................ 13 LIMITATIONS .............................................................................................................................. 13 DELIMITATIONS ......................................................................................................................... 14 ASSUMPTIONS ........................................................................................................................... 14 STATEMENT OF RESEARCHER’S PERSPECTIVE ........................................................................... 14 DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS & CONCEPTS .................................................................................

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