Al Haj Sleiman, Nidal; (2024) Centralising the Social and the Cultural in Leadership Praxis and Development: A Reconceptualisation of Educational Leadership in England and Qatar International Schools. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

International schools have largely increased in number and diversity over the last three decades, however, ‘research literature on leadership in international schools is still thin on the ground’ (Lee and Walker, 2018, p.465). This study contributes to the field by examining leadership praxis, leadership development, and the relationship of leaders with the social and cultural capital of teachers and students in international schools in England and Qatar. To unravel the complexity of leadership in this context, the study draws upon three theoretical dimensions: educational leadership theories, leadership development theories and Bourdieu’s social theory. This research examines the theory, practice, and development of leadership in international schools, and analyses its relationship with the social and cultural capital of students and teachers. The research uses a mixed-methodology consisting of a questionnaire (N=49 principals) and five case-studies (schools), which included individual and group interviews with leaders, teachers and students, document analysis and field analysis. Findings are generally consistent with previous studies and confirmed that leadership is largely influenced by organisational structures and frameworks and disengaged from its social and cultural fields. Leadership of teaching and learning takes place widely through shared, distributed, and informal approaches induced by middle leaders and teachers. Furthermore, the findings exhibit broadly designed models of curriculum and pedagogy that largely misrecognise teachers and students’ capital. The discussion offers a detailed discussion of leadership practice and learning, highlights the gaps driven by the needs of the field, and provides a sociological analysis of international schools and their influence on leadership and the experiences of teachers and students. The thesis concludes by proposing a theoretical framework for leadership and learning in international schools that recognises social and cultural justice and centralises the social and cultural capital of teachers and students in leadership praxis and learning.

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