Research project This research project targets preschool principal’s professional responsibility and accountability for systematic quality work and how state- and local authority control and support the preschool principals in this work.
This research project examens preschool principals’ responsibility for systematic quality work. On one hand, principals themselves is expected to interpret and be responsible for how the systematic quality work is approached in local preschools, on the other hand has state authorities and municipalities in their mission to control the preschool principal’s leadership of the systematic quality work. This ambiguity is planned to be explored on different levels.
Department of Education
Umeå School of Education
The aim of this research project is to explore, describe and analyse challenges and possibilities in Swedish governing and educational policies, on a state authority, municipal and local preschool level, concerning preschool principals and their responsibility for systematic quality work.
The following research questions are addressed
The conceptual framework intertwines (a) internal and external frames (frame factor theory); (b) transformation and realisation arena (arenas with roots in curriculum theory); and (c) curriculum alignment and instructional alignment (alignment theory).
With the concepts of internal and external frames, the idea is to make visible the process that is created when preschool principals' professional responsibility and accountability for systematic quality work is to be controlled and supported. Frames in the form of structural conditions outside the preschool principles’ control, i.e., frames that shape preschool principals’ responsibility, together with the internal frames, the preschool principal’s leeway, both constitute conditions analysed in the research project.
Three arenas – formulation, transformation, and realisation provide the research project with a possibility to generate an in-depth insight and understanding of the complex process of implementing the curriculum at different levels. In specific, the relationship between the transformation and realisation arena is here in focus.
Alignment – both curriculum alignment, and instructional alignment– is used as an analytical tool to investigate whether the interpretations of the curriculum made by state authorities, municipalities and local preschools are connected to each other. By using alignment as a theoretical tool, the research project can analysis who interprets the curriculum and thereafter decides an approving quality of principal’s systematic work in practise.
The data will consist of governing- and educational policies on a state level (the Swedish School Inspectorate as well as from Swedish universities); a municipality level; and a local preschool level. Data will also be collected by means of qualitative semi-structured interviews with preschool principals’ part of university-based Swedish National School Leadership Training programs as well as educators working at the programs.
Data will be analysed using a Qualitative Comparative Analysis. The analysis is planned to put emphasis on external frames given by state authorities and municipalities.
In relation to the preschool principal’s professional responsibility and accountability, the main expected outcome is to provide examples illustrating in what way(s) preschool principals in Sweden are accounted for as well as supported in their responsibility for systematic quality work.
The conceptual framework presented above together with the empirical data have the potential to contribute with a deepened, as well as broadened, understanding of challenges and possibilities framing the Swedish preschool principals' responsibility for systematic quality work as well as the connections between state, state authorities, municipalities, and local preschools.
Supervisors
Anders D. Olofsson, Department of Education
Lina Spjut, Department of Education
