The Effects of Guided Reflection on Educational Leadership Practice: Mentoring and Portfolio Writing as a Means to Transformative Learning for Early-Career Principals
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online July, 2005
The Effects of Guided Reflection on Educational Leadership Practice: Mentoring and Portfolio Writing as a Means to Transformative Learning for Early-Career Principals
An in-depth, 2-year instrumental case study considered the degree to which ongoing reflection, within the context of mentoring relationships and administrative portfolio writing, supported the development of administrative leadership practice within an Administrative Leadership Academy: Entry Year Program. By observing the ways in which entry-year principals applied academy-supported knowledge, dispositions, and performances within the school setting, researchers sought to determine the impact of ongoing Leadership Academy experiences on leadership practice. Findings suggest that guided reflection through mentoring and reflective writing presented an effective means to improve leader learning and practice within the current context of state and federal accountability systems and standards-based education.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AndrejkoL. (1998). The case for the teacher portfolio: Evaluation tool carries a wealth of professional information. Journal of Staff Development, 79(4), 45–48.
ArgyrisC., & SchönD. (1974). Theory in practice: Increasing professional effectiveness.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
4.
ArgyrisC., & SchönD. A. (1996). Organizational learning II: Theory, method, and practice.Reading, MA: Addison Wesley.
5.
AshburnC., MannM., & PurdueP. A. (1987, April). Teacher mentoring: ERIC Clearinghouse on teacher education. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC.
6.
BeckC., & KosnikC. (2001). Reflection-in-action: In defense of thoughtful teaching. Curriculum Inquiry, 31(2), 217–227.
7.
BolamR., McMahonA., PocklingtonK., & WeindlingD. (1995). Mentoring for new headteachers: Recent British experience. Journal of Educational Administration, 33(5), 29–44.
BoydE., & FalesA. (1983). Reflective learning: Key to learning from experience. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 23(2), 99–117.
10.
BrownG., & IrbyB. J. (1995). Administrative portfolios: A contemporary construct for evaluation. ED 400 247. The Ohio State University, Columbus.
11.
BrownG., & IrbyB. J. (2001). The principal portfolio.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
12.
CollinsN., (1983). Professional women and their mentors.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
13.
Council of Chief State School Officers. (1996). Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium: Standards for school leaders.Washington, DC: Author.
14.
CrantonP. (1994). Understanding and promoting transformative learning: A guide for educators of adults.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
15.
CreasapS. (2003). The effects of mentoring and sustained reflection on educational leadership practice. Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy at the Ohio State University, Columbus.
16.
CrowG. M., & MatthewsL. J. (1998). Finding one's way: How mentoring can lead to dynamic leadership.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
17.
CsikszentmihalyiM., & GetzelsJ. W. (1970). Concern for discovery: An attitudinal component of creative production. Journal of Personality, 38, 91–105.
18.
DalozL. A. (1986). Effective teaching and mentoring: Realizing the transformational power of adult learning experiences.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
19.
DalozL. A. (1999). Mentor: Guiding the journey of adult learners.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
20.
DareshJ. C. (2001). Leaders helping leaders: A practical guide to administrative mentoring.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
21.
DavidT. (2000). Teacher mentoring—Benefits all around. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 36(3), 134–136.
22.
DenzinN. K. (1970). The research act: A theoretical introduction to sociological methods.Chicago: Aldine.
23.
DeweyJ. (1922). Human nature and conduct.New York: Modern Library.
24.
DeweyJ. (1933). How we think.Boston: D. C. Heath.
25.
FontanaA., & FreyJ. H. (2000). The interview: From structured questions to negotiated text. In DenzinN. K., & LincolnY. S. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 645–672). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
26.
FookJ. (2002). Theorizing from practice: Toward an inclusive approach for work research. Qualitative Social Work, 1(1), 79–95.
27.
GallweyW. T. (2000). The inner game of work.New York: Random House.
28.
GardinerM. E., EnomotoE., & GroganM. (2000). Coloring outside the lines: Mentoring women into school leadership.New York: State University of New York Press.
29.
GuaglianoneC. L., & YerkesD. M. (1998). Administrative portfolios: Current uses and development by prospective and practicing administrators. ED 420 079. The Ohio State University, Columbus.
30.
HabermasJ. (1984). The theory of communicative action.Boston: Beacon Press.
31.
HebertJ. E., MeekG. E., & SarhanM. (1998). Administrative portfolio: An alternative approach for assessing the performance of academic administrators. CUPA Journal, 49(1-2), 15–21.
32.
HolstiO. R. (1969). Content analysis for the social sciences and humanities.Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
33.
Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium. (1999, August). Portfolio licensure assessment: Field test draft. Prepared by Educational Testing Service for submission under contract with the Council of Chief State School Officers.
34.
JanesickV. J. (2000). The choreography of qualitative research design: Minuets, improvisations, and crystallization. In DenzinN. K., & LincolnY. S. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 379–400). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
35.
JohnstonM., & ThomasM. (In press). The benefits and burdens of ETS portfolio evaluation on early career principals. Journal of Educational Administration.
36.
KottkampR. (1990). Means for facilitating reflection. Education and Urban Society, 22(2), 182–203.
37.
MerriamS. B. (1988). Case study research in education: A qualitative approach.San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
MezirowJ. (1991a). Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: A guide to transformative and emancipatory learning.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
40.
MezirowJ. (1991b). Transformative dimensions of adult learning.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
41.
MurphyJ., & BeckL. G. (1994). Reconstructing the principalship: Challenge and possibilities. In MurphyJ., & Seashore LouisK. (Eds.), Reshaping the principalship: Insights from transformational reform efforts (pp. 3–19). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
42.
Ohio Department of Education. (2003). Facilitators guide for training mentors of entry year principals.Columbus: Ohio Department of Education.
43.
OstermanK. F. (1991). Reflective practice: Linking professional development and school reform. Planning and Changing, 22(3-4), 208–217.
44.
OstermanK. F. (1993). Problems of practice: From the principal's perspective. Journal of School Leadership, 3, 59–73.
45.
OstermanK. F., & KottkampR. B. (1993). Reflective practice for educators: Improving schooling through professional development.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
46.
PattonM. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
47.
PetersA. (2003). A case study of an African American principal participating in an administrative leadership academy. Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy at the Ohio State University, Columbus.
48.
PetersonK. (2002). The professional development of principals: Innovations and opportunities. Educational Administration Quarterly, 38(2), 213–232.
49.
PerezL. (1999). Educational administrative problem solving in the information age. Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy at the Ohio State University.
50.
QRS NUD*IST User Guide. (1997). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
51.
Regional Administrative Leadership Academy: Entry Year Program. (2002). Leadership and learning skill sets.Columbus, OH: ALA:EYP.
52.
RichardsT. J., & RichardsL. (1994). Using computers in qualitative research. In DenzinN. K., & LincolnY. S. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 445–462). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
53.
SchönD. A. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
54.
SengeP. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization.New York: Currency Doubleday.
55.
ShafferC. (2002). Spatial analysis of emerging school administrator licensure standards in the state of Ohio. Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy at the Ohio State University, Columbus.
56.
SimmonsJ. (1996). Control the purpose, not the contents: Coaching the creation of teaching portfolios. Action in Teacher Education, 18, 71–81.
57.
SizerT. R. (1984). Horace's compromise: The dilemma of the American high school.Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
58.
SizerT. R. (1992). Horace's school: Redesigning the American high school.Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
59.
SizerT. R. (1996). Horace's hope: What works for the American high school.Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
60.
SkrlaL., ErlandsonD. A., ReedE. M., & WilsonA. P. (2001). The emerging principalship.Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
61.
SouthworthG. (1995). Reflections on mentoring for new school leaders. Journal of Educational Administration, 33(5), 17–28.
62.
SpradleyJ. (1980). Participant observation.New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
63.
StakeR. (1995). The art of case study research.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
64.
TaylorE. W. (2000). Analyzing research on transformative learning theory. In MezirowJ. & Associates (Eds.), Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress (pp. 285–328). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
65.
UlineC. (1996). Knowledge in the information age: Effortless communication and the effort of reflective thought. Educational Technology, 36(5), 29–32.
66.
UlineC., Tschannen-MoranM., & PerezL. (2003). Constructive conflict: How controversy can contribute to school improvement. Teachers College Record, 105(5), 782–816.
67.
VonkJ. H. C. (1993). Mentoring beginning teachers: Mentors knowledge and skills. Mentoring, 1(1), 31–39.
68.
WildmanT. M., MaglearoS. G., NilesR. A., & NilesJ. A. (1992). Teacher mentoring: An analysis of roles, activities, and conditions. Journal of Teacher Education, 43(3), 205–213.
