https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/65125 Sat, 18 Apr 2026 18:21:42 GMT 2026-04-18T18:21:42Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/141622 Title: Networking experience in a Maltese college education network Abstract: This thesis provides an educational leadership study on a personal five-year networking experience in a Maltese College Education Network. The major focus of the study is the exploration of lived experiences of educational leadership in a new reform. The main research question explores to what extent the notion of leadership, as advocated by the Maltese Education Reform Document For All Children To Succeed (Ministry of Education & Employment, 2005), corresponds to the lived experiences of a School Administrator in a school college network environment. The conceptual framework of the thesis is based on some of Arendt’s major concepts including totalitarianism, ideology, plurality and freedom. The narrative inquiry approach has been selected to be able to carry out a thematic approach whereby each critical theme is analysed through the reading of both the lived experience of the researcher and the policy document itself. This analysis is supported by the contributions of different theories in educational leadership including social justice, education leadership, inclusive leadership, transformative leadership and feminist leadership. This study shows that there is a substantial mismatch between the vision of the reform document and the researcher’s lived experiences. It promotes the view that what is needed in education is more than words in policy documents or ‘what works.’ It is recommended that, in today’s globalised world, educational leaders nurture the capacity to understand, analyse and problematise their personal experiences within their own local environments. This thesis concludes with a number of other relevant recommendations on this subject. Description: PH.D. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/141622 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/139233 Title: English teachers’ reception of the new assessment system Abstract: The Maltese educational sector is currently undergoing large-scale reforms with changes being implemented in the curriculum and various syllabi, the pedagogies used to educate Malta’s youth, and the ways used to assess students’ learning. One of these reforms consists of how students’ Secondary Education Certificate examinations in English (Language and Literature) is assessed. The reform posits that, as of 2020, students will begin to be assessed via School-Based Continuous Assessment in the forms of various tasks for the English Language examination and assignments for the English Literature examination. This study aims to examine how the teachers are responding to having to take on the role of assessing segments of these qualifications as parts of their professional lives. The Literature Review identifies various factors which are associated with how teachers may respond to such reforms, with these having then been used to create an online questionnaire. The areas under which the factors fall are divided into three broad areas: what the teachers think about the reform, how they think the reform will impact their working lives, and their efficaciousness when it comes to handling the reform. Each one of these also represent a research question in the study. The study intended to follow a mixed methodology approach, yet various factors led to the qualitative aspect being abandoned in favour of a more quantitative approach. The study concludes that, whilst there are a number of areas which are indicative of a positive reception on the teachers’ ends, there are also a number of areas which are being perceived negatively. This mixed reception and its implications for stakeholders are discussed. Description: MTL(Melit.) Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/139233 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/92390 Title: Information technology as a vocational subject in secondary schools : the realities faced by teachers, school leaders and policymakers Abstract: Being stigmatised to an eventual important economic aspect, governments are striving to have an efficient VET system. In our secondary schooling, through the My Journey reform, VET and applied learning are provided in parity of esteem with general academic education. An interpretative phenomenological case study approach focused on IT, as a vocational subject, is undertaken to understand educators’ perceptions, challenges and roles in implementing IVET in both state and non-state secondary schools. Additionally, being an insider to the research, a qualitative exploratory interview approach is carried out to capture teachers’, SLT members’ and policymakers’ insights on the matter. Through the use of NVivo12, this study analyses three emergent themes that comprise school administration and logistical issues, challenges for teaching and learning and quality assurance. Despite an emergent positive perception towards VET, both teachers and SLT members outlined several challenges, including increase in workloads, logistical issues, and lack of time and support. These challenges are exacerbated in state schools due to higher student intake, a wide range of vocational subjects offered and the introduction of the applied route concerning the My Journey reform. This study shows that VET leaders’ roles are more characterised as administrative, whereas teachers felt undervalued and continuously scrutinised in their work. Finally, mitigation measures comprising CPD to enhance stakeholders’ wellbeing, acquisition of vocational pedagogy and industrial skills, as well as networking, are discussed for the effective national IVET implementation at a secondary level. Description: M.A.EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP&MGT. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/92390 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/92386 Title: Multicultural education in Gozo primary schools : possibilities, challenges and questions Abstract: Over the recent years, Malta has experienced a significant increase in the number of immigrants due to various factors – cultural, financial and religious. The main focus of the current study is therefore to determine the possibilities, challenges, and questions of multicultural education in Gozo Primary Schools. Multicultural education is explored as an opportunity that can offer the learner with the possibility of acquiring his/her own social and cultural knowledge. A qualitative study is conducted, and semi structured interviews are carried out within two state schools and one church school. The main objective of such research is to understand how Gozitan primary multicultural classrooms are currently transforming themselves into a learning community. The study explores the perceptions and practices of Learning Support Educators and also that of the Senior Leadership Team in relation to multicultural education. In addition, the views of how to deal with multicultural education within the school and the challenges that one encounters. In conclusion, this study analyses the manner in which schools are attempting to implement such change. Furthermore, what are the necessary changes needed to be taken from all stakeholders so that multicultural education truly becomes a pedagogical resource in the classroom. Description: M.A.EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP&MGT. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/92386 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z