Management in the English And Saudi Education System - Literature review Example

DOCUMENT ANALYSIS Content Analysis Middle Leadership/ Management in the English And Saudi Education System Literature Methods The criteria used for document analysis included searching online for articles on middle leadership/ management in UK education system before conducting a systematic review of the literature to determine whether they supported hypothesis. The selected research question to be measured with variables and used with a coding scheme included: What is the meaning that managers assign to leadership in educational systems in Saudi Arabia and UK? In making a sampling frame, cases to be analysed, which are both unbiased and representative, were selected on previously published literature in UK and Saudi Arabia. All the resulting data from these researchers were analysed. Afterwards, semi-quantitative results were generated using tables. A standard 'scientific' format was then used in reporting the data. Data for content analysis extracted from studies that focused on articles documented in English language. The databases searched mainly included Google Scholar, EBSCO, ERIC, JSTOR, Academic Search Complete. The key words used in the search comprise “middle leadership in UK education,” “middle leadership in Saudi Arabia education,” “management in UK education system,” “Study of management in Saudi Arabia education system.” Ultimately, 30 articles were identified, which were directly related to the selected research question. However, 13 of the articles that met the criteria for selection were put aside for critical appraisal. In order establish whether the researches were consistent with the research question, findings were reviewed and subsequently summated. All the documents selected for critical appraisal were peer-reviewed and research report articles that had been published between 2005 and 2015. The ten-year period was in order to examine the trend in management/middle leadership of education system during the last one decade. Due to paucity of previous researches that relate to the research question, a major research barrier emanated, which included a limited number of researches that examined the topic. Online search was done for information pertinent to the middle leadership/ management in the English and Saudi education system between 2005 and 2015, which yielded 30 articles. From these, 13 were selected that effectively met the preset criteria. The articles were then critically appraised using Hillier’s et al (2011) FORM framework, which was formulated as a structured process for establishing a body of evidence relevant to the research question. The framework is designed for exploring the level of evidence assigned to a study, the level of evidence base, the consistency of the findings, the generalisability of the results and the applicability of the results. Ranking the studies based on FORM Table 1: Figure 1: Ranking of studies based on FORM model Studies reviewed Rank Evidence base Consistency Education Impact Generalisability Applicability Almanne (2015) 1 A A A A A Leithwood and Levin (2013) 2 A A A A A Mathis (2007) 3 A A A B A Laila (2015) 4 A A A B A Al-Abbas (2010) 5 A B A B A Inman (2007) 6 A B A B A Leithwood et al (2006) 7 A B B B B Hadfield (2005) 8 A B B B C Mathis (2007) 9 A B Algarni and Male (2014) 10 A A B C B Al-Abbas (2010) 11 A B C D B Alsalaji (2014) 12 A C C C C Mazlan, Azlimi,& Esa (2014) 13 A D B C C Table 2: Definition of grades Systematic Review Results: Middle leadership/ management in the UK and Saudi education system Studies Key findings Method & scope Main theories & Hypothesis Variables Limitation/ future research Country Notes Statistical Test Mazlan, Azlimi,& Esa (2014) Middle leadership creates a learning organization where efforts are centred on increasing instructional capacity to influence student learning Qualitative methodological design (document analysis) -Trait approach, - Skills approach Leadership skill, middle management - No follow up interview conducted - No study design or sampling method stated. - Limited sample size leads to the findings being propositions that require further validation before broader generalization United Kingdom . Middle management produces skilled students in the UK vocational school, by educating, training, facilitating and consulting the students to be on the set to the employment area. No statistical test used Inman (2007) Middle-level leadership in higher education is highly complex and challenging and calls for combination of management and leadership skills. Qualitative methodological design ( Semi-structured interviews) transactional leadership theory School leadership, management Small sample size of sixteen male and two female participant (18) Less generalisable United Kingdom Formal professional development for middle-level leadership is relatively uncommon in UK as most leaders are self-taught and acquire skills through life experience. No statistical test used Leithwood and Levin (2013) The leadership effects are greatest in student learning and act as a catalyst that “unleashes” the potential of other factors that improve pupil learning. Qualitative methodological design (document analysis) Transformational leadership theory -Leadership -Student learning - Small sample size - missing data for individual schools Not generalisable United Kingdom Leadership is a variable critical to school improvement as it has significant effects on pupil learning in UK. Path analytic technique (e.g. LISREL) Leithwood Day, Sammons, Harris and Hopkins (2006) School leaders, whether the managers or middle leadership, influence student learning. Qualitative methodological design (document analysis) -Yukl’s taxonomy of managerial behaviours, -Contingency theory, -Ohio State model. -Leadership -Student learning - Small sample size - missing data for individual schools Not generalisable United Kingdom Teachers’ working conditions significantly influences their emotions, which in turn shape their classroom practices and ultimately influence what students learn. Descriptive statistical analysis to measure how leadership influences pupil's learning Hadfield (2005) The growth in network leadership capacity of the middle managers is essentially an adaptive response to the challenges of sustaining school networks. Qualitative research method (document analysis) Fullan’s concept of ‘system thinkers in action’, Systems theory Leadership, school performance, school networks - No follow up interview conducted - No study design or sampling method stated. United Kingdom Headteachers’ school development may be positively affected by the achievement of the school network No statistical test used Almanne (2015) The superintendents have a leadership role of developing school districts, which are however perceived as ineffectual due to centralised system of Saudi's Ministry of Education and existence of unqualified superintendants Mixed method of research approach (semi-structured interviews and quantitative structure interview) No theoretical framework used Organisational collaboration, Leadership, Middle leader’s competencies Small study sample ( 276 middle leaders) Less generalisable Saudi Arabia The school superintendent leadership needs to be improved in Saudi Arabia to offer high quality of learning by improving how they are selected. Descriptive statistics to determine correlation between the variables. Mathis (2007) The roles and perspectives of leaders in Saudi Arabia are highly impacted by their religion, and greatly influenced by the Ministry of Education Qualitative methodological design (Interviewing, and document analysis ) Trait theory, transactional leadership theory, transformational leadership theory, motivation theory School leadership, religion, government policies Small study sample Less generalisable Saudi Arabia In reforming Saudi Arabia’s educational system, educators should lead take the influence of religion and Ministry of Education on middle leaders/school managers into perspective. No statistical test used Algarni andMale (2014) The current Saudi education system sees educational leadership as the responsibility of a single individual and suggests that the middle leaders should provide management rather than leadership, and development and management instead of leadership. Qualitative methodological design (document analysis) Situational leadership theory -contingency leadership theory Leadership, dynamic leadership traits - No follow up interview conducted - No study design or sampling method stated. -Limited sample size leads to the findings being propositions that require further validation before broader generalization Saudi Arabia Although Saudi Arabia has a governmental policy that implements implement collaborative learning, it contradicts a centralised decision-making culture within the Saudi educational settings, as middle leaders are not given autonomy to actively engage in management of the education system No statistical test used Al-Abbas, (2010) School leadership fosters an enabling atmosphere that allows teachers to be more successful in attaining the teaching and learning goals established by the school and the education ministry. Qualitative research method (semi-structured interviews) Theory of educational leadership, Transformational and transactional theory School leadership, learning. Learning goals, teacher behaviours Limited sample size leads to the findings being propositions that require further validation before broader generalization Saudi Arabia When the enthusiasm and the direction as well as the educational expertise of the school principals are mediated through the school teachers, then the principals should pay attention to the teachers’ perspective and adopt behaviours that teachers views as enabling. No statistical test used Alsalaji (2014) While school teachers and principals see themselves to be legitimate middle leaders, the top down policy and school culture of Saudi Arabia, which has decentralised leadership, disempower them and make them ineffective. Qualitative research method (semi-structured interviews) Theory of educational leadership, Transformational and transactional theory School leadership, government policy, school culture, - No follow up interview conducted - No study design or sampling method stated. - Limited sample size leads to the findings being propositions that require further validation before broader generalization Saudi Arabia Empowerment of middle leaders in the education system is necessary to enable them to take up their roles as well as to reform Saudi Arabia's education system. Teachers should be enggaed in decision making in schools, as middle leaders No statistical test used Laila (2015) The key issues hindering effectiveness of middle leaders/ school managers in Saudi Arabia education systems include limitation of school leaders' powers, lack of autonomy, centralised curriculum and lack of motivation. Mixed research methodology (Mixed research methodology for qualitative study and structured questionnaires for quantitative stud) No theoretical framework states School leadership, government policy, school culture, - Limited study sample (179 teachers and 11 school principals) - study not generalisable Saudi Arabia School leaders should be supported by external agents, given more autonomy and given incentives. No statistical test stated Review of research validity Almanne (2015) examined the leadership roles of school superintendents in Saudi Arabia. Using a mixed method of research to survey 276 middle leaders, it was established that the they have a leadership role of developing school districts, which are however perceived as ineffectual due to centralised system of Saudi's Ministry of Education and existence of unqualified superintendants. From the results, it is noted that the school superintendent leadership needs to be improved in Saudi Arabia to offer high quality of learning by improving how they are selected. The study is valid as descriptive statistics was used to determine correlation among leadership, school performance, school networks variables. Leithwood and Levin (2013) assessed the effects of school leaders and leadership programmes on student’s learning in the UK. Based on qualitative research method and document analysis to collect data, it was established that the leadership effects are greatest in student learning and act as a catalyst that “unleashes” the potential of other factors that improve pupil learning. The transformational leadership theory used in the study led to the conception that leadership is a variable that is critical to school improvement as it has significant effects on pupil learning in UK. Despite the small sample size and missing data for individual schools, the findings appear to be more valid given the use of statistical methods, such as Path analytic technique (LISREL) to validate the date. Leithwood and Levin (2013) provided the strongest evidence relating to me Middle leadership/ management in the UK education system. Mathis (2007) examined the leadership roles of Saudi female principals in Saudi Arabia. Using qualitative methodological design, it was established that the roles and perspectives of leaders in Saudi Arabia are highly impacted by their religion, and greatly influenced by the Ministry of Education. From the conclusion, it is noted that in reforming Saudi Arabia’s educational system, educators should lead take the influence of religion and Ministry of Education on middle leaders/school managers into perspective. Several theoretical frameworks included trait theory, transactional leadership theory, transformational leadership theory, motivation theory. The study, however, had various limitations including lack of follow up study to validate the findings. Laila (2015) examined the role of leaders in school effectiveness. Using a Mixed research methodology, through quantitative and qualitative research methods to survey 179 teachers and 11 school principals, it was established that the key issues hindering effectiveness of middle leaders/ school managers in Saudi Arabia education systems include limitation of school leaders' powers, lack of autonomy, centralised curriculum, and lack of motivation. The mixed methodology made the findings valid and reliable. Al-Abbas (2010) also examined the roles of middle leaders. The findings suggested that the school leadership fosters an enabling atmosphere that allows teachers to be more successful in attaining the teaching and learning goals established by the school and the education ministry. The study relied on qualitative research method. However, the limited sample size leads to the findings being propositions that require further validation before broader generalization. Inman (2007) examined the role of middle leaders/managers in United Kingdoms’s higher education system. The researcher used a purposive sampling method to select 18 participants, made up of sixteen males and two females. By relying on qualitative research method and collecting data through semi-structured interviews, Inman (2007) established that the middle-level leadership in higher education is highly complex and challenging and calls for combination of management and leadership skills. The study relied on the transactional leadership theory to reach the assumption that the idea that formal professional development for middle-level leadership is relatively uncommon in UK as most leaders are self-taught and acquire skills through life experience. Still, the study had limitations, which dispute the validity of the findings. For instance, the small sample size of 18 participants means that the study cannot be generalised to fit the entire population of UK’s middle manager. Leithwood Day, Sammons, Harris and Hopkins (2006) examined how successful school leadership influences students’ learning. Using document analysis as a date collection method of qualitative research design, the study established that the school leaders, including the managers or middle leadership, influence student learning. By further relying on theoretical frameworks like Yukl’s taxonomy of managerial behaviours, Contingency theory, and Ohio State model to conclude that teachers’ working conditions significantly influences their emotions, which in turn shape their classroom practices and ultimately influence what students learn. Consistency with the theoretical framework made the findings valid, despite the small sample size that limited its generalisability. Descriptive statistical analysis was also used to measure how leadership influences pupil's learning. Hadfield (2005) studied middle leaders and the distributed leadership in school networks in the United Kingdom. Based on document analysis method of Qualitative research design, it was established that the growth in network leadership capacity of the middle managers is in essence an adaptive response to the challenge of sustaining school networks. The study was based on Fullan’s concept of ‘system thinkers in action’, Systems theory, as the theoretical framework. From the conclusion, it is noted that headteachers’ school development may be positively affected by the achievement of the school network. Still, the findings are less reliable and valid as no follow up interview conducted. Additionally, no statistical test was used to measure the results. Algarni and Male (2014) also examined the roles of middle leaders in Saudi Arabia and established the current Saudi education system sees educational leadership as the responsibility of a single individual and suggests that the middle leaders should provide management rather than leadership, and development and management instead of leadership. From the study, it was concluded that although Saudi Arabia has a governmental policy that implements implement collaborative learning, it contradicts a centralised decision-making culture within the Saudi educational settings, as middle leaders are not given autonomy to actively engage in management of the education system. The main setback included relying solely on document analysis, as no follow up study was done. Alsalaji (2014) examined the challenges that face middle managers in Saudi education system. Through a qualitative research method, it was established that school teachers and principals see themselves to be legitimate middle leaders, the top down policy and school culture of Saudi Arabia, which has decentralised leadership, disempower them and make them ineffective. From the study, it could be reasoned that empowerment of middle leaders in the education system is necessary to enable them to take up their roles as well as to reform Saudi Arabia's education system. Teachers should be engaged in decision making in schools, as middle leaders. However, the fact that there was no follow up study limits the validity of the research, given the small study sample. Mazlan et al (2005) explored leadership skills among middle managers in vocational school. The study was based on qualitative methodological design, using document analysis. The theoretical frameworks that guided the study included the trait approach and skills approach Using a review of 42 journals, e-books, conferences papers and Internet search, Mazlan et al (2005) established that middle leadership creates a learning organization where efforts are centred on increasing instructional capacity to influence student learning. The middle managers were found to play significant roles in producing skilled students in the UK vocational school, by educating, and training the students. The study, however, had major setbacks, which limited its validity. For instance, no follow up interview was conducted to validate the findings. The limited number of articles reviewed (24) also limited the generalisability and reliability of the findings. The findings therefore require further validation before broader generalization. Results and conclusion From the document analysis, concluded that Almanne (2015) and Leithwood and Levin (2013)are the highest quality studies as they have low risk of bias. They are also consistent with the hypothesis and the results, and offer valid and reliable findings. They also have the highest educational impacts and relevance. Additionally, the population studied in the body of evidence are similar to the target populations. Therefore, studies by Almanne (2015) and Leithwood and Levin (2013) point to the right direction in answering the research question. Reflecting on findings by the two studies, it is concluded that the middle leaders in Saudi Arabia’s education system have a leadership role of developing school districts, which are however perceived as ineffectual due to centralised system of Saudi's Ministry of Education and existence of unqualified superintendants. Additionally, leadership effects of the middle leaders in the UK are not affected by the centralised system, and are greatest in student learning and act as a catalyst that improves pupils’ learning. The findings can be implemented to the educational policy and practice in Saudi Arabia and UK’s education system. References Al-Abbas, A 2010, Leadership Activities and Behaviours that Enable Classroom Teachers, The University of Waikato, Hamilton Algarni, F & Male, T 2014, "Leadership in Saudi Arabian Public Schools: Time for Devolution?" ISEA vol 42 no 3, pp.45-59 Almannie, M 2015, "Leadership Role of School Superintendent in Saudi Arabia," International Journal of Social Science Studies vol 3 no 3, pp.169-175 Alsalaji, S 2014, "Challenges of Teacher Leadership in a Saudi School: Why are Teachers not Leaders," Educational Research Reviews, vol 9 no 24, pp.1413-14-19 Hadfield, M 2005, "Middle Leaders and the Nature of Distributed Leadership in Networks," Paper prepared for a symposium for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference 2005, Montreal, April 11th– 15th Hillier, S, Grimmer-somer, K, Merlin, T et al. 2011, “FORM: An Australian method for formulating and grading recommendations in evidence-based clinical guidelines,” BMC Medical Research Methodology vol 11 no 23, pp.1-11 Inman, M 2007, The Journey To Leadership: A Study Of How Leader Academics In Higher Education Learn To Lead, A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of Doctor In Education: Leaders And Leadership Laila, A 2015, "The Effective School: The Role of Leaders in School Effectiveness," Educational Research and Reviews vol 10 no 6, pp.695-721 Leithwood, K & Levin, B 2013, Assessing School Leader and Leadership Programme Effects on Pupil Learning: Conceptual and Methodological Challenges: Research Report RR662, DfES Publications, Nottingham Leithwood, K, Day, C, Sammons, P, Harris, A & Hopkins, D 2006, “Successful School Leadership What It Is and How It Influences Pupil Learning," National College for School Leadership Research Report RR800 Mathis, B 2007, "Educational Leadership: A Description Of Saudi Female Principals In The Eastern Province Of Saudi Arabia," Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University Mazlan, A, Azlimi, M, & Esa, A 2014, "Leadership Skills among Middle Management People in Vocational School. 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