Societal Culture and the Changing Role of School Principals in the Post-Soviet Era: The Case of Kazakhstan

Autor/in	Yakavets, Natallia
Titel	Societal Culture and the Changing Role of School Principals in the Post-Soviet Era: The Case of Kazakhstan
Quelle	In: Journal of Educational Administration, 54 (2016) 6, S.683-702 (20 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0957-8234
DOI	10.1108/JEA-12-2015-0118
Schlagwörter	Social Change; Educational Change; Administrator Role; Foreign Countries; Social Influences; Cultural Influences; Educational Policy; Educational Practices; Educational Development; Rural Schools; Urban Schools; Case Studies; Educational Innovation; Social Systems; Semi Structured Interviews; Principals; Collectivism; Power Structure; Administrator Attitudes; Kazakhstan + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Sozialer Wandel; Bildungsreform; Ausland; Sozialer Einfluss; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Bildungspraxis; Bildungsentwicklung; Rural area; Rural areas; School; Schools; Ländlicher Raum; Schule; Schulen; Urban area; Urban areas; Stadtregion; Stadt; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Instructional innovation; Bildungsinnovation; Social system; Soziales System; Principal; Schulleiter; Kasachstan
Abstract	Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of societal and cultural factors on the practices and perceptions of school principals in Kazakhstan. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on empirical data collected in Kazakhstan over two years in the course of an international, collaborative, multi-stranded project. Findings: The findings support the claim that educational policies and practice are deeply embedded in the national culture, which is an evolving mixture of traditional Kazakh, Russian and diverse ethnic, Soviet and paternalistic cultures. These various societal characteristics exemplify various aspects of the tensions between traditional forms of social organisation, the Soviet legacy, and the sort of educational development promoted by Western educational and international organisations, which now plays an important role in Kazakhstan. Research limitations/implications: The analysis, though limited in scope, has nevertheless yielded insights into important differences and similarities amongst rural and urban schools and explored the effects of societal cultural factors that shape the practices of school leaders on the periphery of the system. Originality/value: The paper provides an empirically grounded illustration of the way in which societal culture and cultural norms shape the role of school principals, and how schools cope with a top-down policy in Kazakhstan. By contrasting the norms that shape both existing practice and the reform agenda, the paper offers some explanations for how cultural norms represent both strengths and weaknesses when applied to the process of change in a post-Soviet context. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01