Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts Department of Educational Sciences

Critical Incidents in Headteachers۱ Professional Paths

(Examples from the Czech Republic)

Milan Pol, Lenka Hloušková, Petr Novotný, Martin Sedláček

IAEVG ConferenceJyväskylä, Finland3 – 5 June 2009

Structure

What are critical incidents?

What are career management competencies?

What critical incidents are there in individualprofessional paths of Czech headteachers?

What educational needs of career managementcompetencies triggered these critical incidents in theheadteachers´ professional paths?

Critical incident

Cluster of interactions among the individual, their employment and their family life

Based on meanings respondents attached to them

These incidents lead to a change of attitude and of how they perceive and experience further situations

Critical incidents: Occupational choice Invitation to headteacher´s position Acceptance of a career change

Career management competencies

Definitions of career management skills or competencies

Competencies derive from the social constructivist concept “career development“

Competencies develop from individual educational needs

Competencies derive from concept of career development Knowledge (knowing what and why) Skills (knowing how) Values and attitudes (knowing how to be)

Research methodologySubject: Headteachers of Czech Schools and

their lives and proffesional paths (Czech Science Foundation, reg.#406/07/0845)

Objectives of the subject:to contribute to knowledge of career development of headteachers

Narrative research approach – design life stories of headteachers

Method of data collection: biographical interviews other research methods

Research sample

Headteachers of primary and lower secondary level schools

Conditions for becoming headteacher: Teacher training qualification (master´s degree) At least 4 years of teacher practice Successful participants in a competition for the post

Intentional choice: - With least 5 years of experience at headteacher position- Gender - Size and location of the school

Life stories –six headteachersF/M Age One school

as employment

In headteacher position

Choosing profession(teacher)

Invited to position

Acceptance of career change

Maria (F)

50 N 9 years Y Y Y

Eva (F)

54 Y 13 years Y Y Y

Petr(M)

45 N 12 years Y N Y

Jirka(M)

48 N 6 years Y Y Y

Franta(M)

47 N 13 years Y Y N

Michal(M)

58 Y 18 years Y Y Y

Occupational choice It is a “long forgotten“ episode

Eva and Maria: motivation - care of childrenThey would like to take care of children and this reassessment was mediated by their existing experience and the influence of their families.Franta and Michal: motivation - teachingThey would like to teach and this choice was backed by a family tradition.Petr and Jirka: motivation – what to do next? It was more of a rational decision and the teaching profession won as the best of thevariants on their shorlists

Educational needs: Knowledge: a balanced lack of knowing what and knowing why Skills ? Value and attitudes: motivation

Invitation to headteacher´s position

I thought I knew a lot about teaching and I was eager to usewhat I knew somewhere else (personal life) and inaddition, I started to be approached by my peers who hadalready been headteachers themselves because they neededsomeone to cooperate with (employment) ... and financeplayed a role too (personal and family life). So I applied.(Franta)

Educational needs: Knowledge: a balanced lack of knowing what and knowing why

Skills: decision-makingConcerning of the school as a whole (What kind of change in my professional path is it?)Concerning of the opportunity (Is it the opportunity for me?)

Values and attitudes: a vision of the school

Acceptance of a career change Before headteacher´s positionI started to to carry out my life (Eva); I am implementing my dream

(Jirka)

During headteacher´s position I am putting my heart in it (Michal); Role-playing (Marie); I find itmeaningful (Petr)

When Franta?

Educational needs: Knowledge: lack of knowledge of headteacher´s work Skills: being able to cope with a problem situation Values and attitudes:the return to their vision of school

Conclusions Not every critical incident can trigger an

educational need and vicerversa one critical incident can cause several educational needs at once.

Critical incidents during headteacher´s employment bring about educational needs idicated as “skill“ .

When headteachers feel the educational need to have a competence of career management, they learn in the whole range of lifelong learning (formal, nonformal, informal learning).

Thank you for your attention

Lenka Hlouškováhlouskov@phil.muni.cz

Department of Educational Sciences Faculty of Arts

Masaryk University The Czech Republic