Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of Educational Sciences Critical Incidents in Headteachers ۱ Professional Paths ( Examples from the Czech Republic ) Milan Pol, Lenka Hloušková, Petr Novotný, Martin Sedláček IAEVG Conference Jyväskylä, Finland 3 – 5 June 2009

Structure What are critical incidents? What are career management competencies? What critical incidents are there in individual professional paths of Czech headteachers? What educational needs of career management competencies triggered these critical incidents in the headteachers´ 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 methodology Subject: 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 le ast 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 headteachers F/MAgeOne school as employment In headteacher position Choosing profession (teacher) Invited to position Acceptance of career change Maria (F) 50N9 yearsYYY Eva (F) 54Y13 yearsYYY Petr (M) 45N12 yearsYNY Jirka (M) 48N6 yearsYYY Franta (M) 47N13 yearsYYN Michal (M) 58Y18 yearsYYY

Occupational choice  It is a “long forgotten“ episode Eva and Maria: motivation - care of children They 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 - teaching They 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 the variants 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 use what I knew somewhere else (personal life) and in addition, I started to be approached by my peers who had already been headteachers themselves because they needed someone to cooperate with (employment)... and finance played 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-making Concerning 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 position I 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 it meaningful (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 Hloušková Department of Educational Sciences Faculty of Arts Masaryk University The Czech Republic