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EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: PARTICIPANT PERCEPTIONS IN THE [XXXX] PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM By SARAH BOND A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2013 1 © 2013 Sarah Bond 2 To my family – thank you for giving me strong roots and wings, and for supporting me throughout this journey 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like my committee chair, Dr. Bernard Oliver, for his guidance, patience, insight, and humor during the process of writing this dissertation. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee, Drs. Linda Eldridge, Alyson Adams, and Eileen Oliver. Dr. Linda Behar-Horenstein’s feedback and support during the early part of this process was invaluable. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Kathleen George for helping me to believe in myself and Drs. James Brock and Myra Mendible for showing me how to get started. I would also like to thank H.E. Dr. Mugheer Al Khaili, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), and the leadership at ADEC. Support from the ADEC Research Office, the School Operations sector, and Danielle Montes from the Professional Development Division made this work possible. I am grateful to my family and friends for their love and support, particularly my parents, Haydn Thomas and Anne Hawkins, and my two amazing grandmothers, C. Louise Thomas and Velma Williams. I would also like to thank Robert Hawkins, John and Jennifer Yuhascheck, Kate Thomas, Eric Hawkins, and the Bond family. I could not have done this without the friendship, help, and endless support from my amazing husband, Cameron Bond. My son, Lachlan Bond, is my joy and I am so thankful for his hugs and encouragement. Finally, I would like to thank the amazing women who so generously gave me their time and shared their experience with me; they are an inspiration. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 4 DEFINITION OF TERMS ................................................................................................ 7 ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 11 Purpose of the Study .............................................................................................. 14 Research Question ................................................................................................. 15 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................ 15 Limitations ............................................................................................................... 16 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ................................................................................ 18 Overview ................................................................................................................. 18 Leadership Development Programs—Best Practices from a Western Perspective .......................................................................................................... 18 UAE—Background and Context ............................................................................. 24 Women and Careers in the UAE ............................................................................. 26 Emiratization ........................................................................................................... 27 Education in the UAE .............................................................................................. 28 New School Model .................................................................................................. 29 Education Reform in the UAE ................................................................................. 30 Professional Learning for Pre-Service Teachers .................................................... 32 Professional Development in Government Schools ................................................ 36 Leadership in the UAE Context ............................................................................... 39 Implications ............................................................................................................. 40 3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY ...................................................................................... 41 Setting ..................................................................................................................... 41 Participants ............................................................................................................. 42 Methods .................................................................................................................. 43 Narrative Qualitative Research ......................................................................... 43 Cross-cultural Narrative Research ................................................................... 46 Qualitative Interviews ....................................................................................... 47 Theoretical framework ............................................................................................ 48 Data Analysis .......................................................................................................... 49 Research Validity .................................................................................................... 51 4 RESULTS ................................................................................................................... 53 5 Background and Context ........................................................................................ 54 The [XXXX] Professional Development Program—Initial Six-Week Program ......... 63 Experience as a First-year Vice-principal—Hessa .................................................. 70 Experience as a First-year Vice-principal—Khawla ................................................ 73 Experience as a First-year Vice-principal—Fatima ................................................. 76 Experience as a First-year Vice-principal—Mariam ................................................ 80 Community Relationships ....................................................................................... 83 Suggestions for Program Improvement .................................................................. 86 Summary of Findings .............................................................................................. 90 5 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................... 92 Recommendations for Program Leaders ................................................................ 96 Recommendations for Future Study ....................................................................... 97 INTERVIEW PROTOCOL ............................................................................................. 99 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 101 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .......................................................................................... 106 6 DEFINITION OF TERMS ADEC The Abu Dhabi Education Council is the governing body for education in Abu Dhabi. Although ADEC collaborates with the UAE Ministry of Education, it exercises a high degree of control over the operation of schools in Abu Dhabi. ADEC functions as the governing body for all schools in the emirate but also as the operator (similar to a school district in the U.S.) for government-run schools. Alhamdulillah Meaning literally “praise be to God,” this phrase often is invoked by participants. Cluster Manager Termed the “principal’s principal,” these ADEC employees support and supervise principals, usually at approximately 5-10 geographically clustered school sites. These are usually Westerners who have experience working as principals in a foreign context. Cycles Schools in the UAE are organized into cycles: • KG1/KG2 serves students from ages three to six, in two years of kindergarten classes. These generally are housed in a separate mixed-gender school site, although they are sometimes situated within a Cycle 1 girl’s school. • Cycle 1 serves students in grades one to five, usually in gender- segregated sites. Some newer schools serve cycle 1 students in a mixed-gender environment • Cycle 2 serves students in grades six to nine, in gender-segregated sites. • Cycle 3 serves students in grades 10 to 12, in gender-segregated sites. Note: Geographically remote school sites may serve multiple cycles in a single gender-segregated school building. KG1/KG2 is usually mixed-gender and is usually housed in a girl’s school. HoF-A The Head of Faculty is the lead teacher for Arabic Medium Teachers s in a school using the New School model. This is a quasi-administrative position; the job responsibilities include assistance with professional development and evaluation for teachers. HoF-E The Head of Faculty is the lead teacher for English Medium teachers in a school using the New School model. These are mostly Western ex-patriots. This is a quasi-administrative position; the job responsibilities include assistance with professional development and evaluation