1. Conditions to enhance competence-oriented staff policy:
a hybrid Delphi study
Aster Van Mieghem*, Elke Struyf, Mathea Simons, Ellen Vandervieren, Jordi Casteleyn, Tom Smits
Problem statement
Research question
School teams experience varying needs depending on:
new imposed rules and laws
changing views on education
advantages linked with adopting good practices (Verbiest, 2011)
School organizations must therefore possess a high innovation capacity. This may be obtained through competence-oriented staff policy.
What conditions must be taken into account when implementing a practice that supports competence-oriented staff policy?
Methodology
Four different expert groups were involved to ensure input from different perspectives:
teachers (n=5)
school leaders (n=7)
pedagogical counselors (n=14)
educational consultants (n=12)
The input of each expert group is collected and analyzed separately over the course of the entire study.
Results and Conclusion
I. THE STUDY REVEALS FIVE CLUSTERS OF SIMILAR CONDITIONS ACROSS ALL EXPERT GROUPS:
1. Vision, mission and plan of action
keep a clear vision in mind
translate this into a mission and a plan of action supported by the entire team
2. Focus on the learner
practices must be beneficial to students
give teachers the opportunity to structurally redesign their classroom practice
teachers must be ready to innovate
3. A positive school climate (PSC) that fosters collaboration
teachers must have autonomy and support from the school leader and fellow teachers to try out new things with or without colleagues
mutual trust seems to be vital for open communication underpinning a PSC
set up collaboration among teachers so they learn from each other and assign tasks
take into account teachers’ willingness to collaborate
the sustainability of the cooperation
the possibility to regularly meet with colleagues
4. Knowledge about the team and the organization of practice
self-knowledge or knowledge about the competences within the team is required
teachers want to organize the learning environment as optimally as possible
school leaders value the ability to deploy their own staff
 5. Infrastructure that supports the practice
 infrastructure is a capital gain if it can support the practice
These conditions favor practices that foster competence-oriented staff policy.
II. EACH EXPERT GROUP LOOKS AT THE CONDITIONS FROM ITS OWN PERSPECTIVE:
Table 1: Perspectives and concerns of each expert group
Understanding the different stakeholders’ perspectives will facilitate the implementation of practices supporting competence-oriented staff policy.
Expert group
Perspective
Concern
teachers -
practical
How do we have to organize this new practice?
school leaders
managerial
How can I successfully guide my team towards this practice?
pedagogical counselors
supportive
What are the needs of the school team and how can I support this team?
educational consultants
theoretical
What is known already about this practice?
*Aster Van Mieghem
University of Antwerp, Faculty of Social Sciences, Antwerp School of Education