https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/72565 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 15:19:08 GMT 2026-04-04T15:19:08Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/74225 Title: Perceptions and practices of collaborative leadership styles Abstract: Collaborative leadership is a process which allows stakeholders to contribute and be actively involved in decision-making. It is grounded in a constructivist belief that to sustain effective change, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Research suggests that leaders should use power rather than authority to influence and empower stakeholders, elicit teamwork, support, build trustworthy relationships, communicate effectively and sustain interdependency. The need and importance of collaborative practices are highlighted and celebrated in the Maltese National Curriculum Framework (NCF). The NCF (2012) encourages leaders to develop a collaborative culture based upon the professional skills of the members of the organisation and encourages all stakeholders to collectively engage in critical discourse to improve the quality of teaching and learning. This qualitative study seeks to explore insights and broaden the knowledge base on the perceptions and practices of collaborative leadership styles employed by senior leadership team (SLT) members in Maltese secondary educational settings. Six secondary schools were purposefully sampled to take part in the study. Eighteen face-to-face semi-structured interviews were carried out with SLT members and teachers. This study seeks to unpack concepts related to collaborative practices in schools. These include perceptions on collaborative strategies employed by SLT members to sustain collaborative practices as well as challenges faced when implementing such practices. Findings in this study show that the concept of collaboration is welcomed by all schools which implement various strategies to sustain collaboration. SLT members consider increasing professional development (PD) sessions and finding further spaces as ways to improve collaboration whilst teachers see lack of communication as well as inactive listening as obstacles. Additionally, resistance and lack of time were identified as major challenges in promoting and practising collaboration. This study holds the potential to help SLT members reflect on leadership strategies and empower them to critically think of ways to manage collaboration effectively at their workplaces. The way forward should challenge the obstacles which hinder and/or slow down this phenomenon. A proposed suggestion explores instilling a constructivist approach to teaching and learning, an objective within the NCF, targeting to enculture collaborative practices at an early stage of development. Description: M.A.ED.LEADERSHIP&MANGT. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/74225 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/74067 Title: The continuing professional development of secondary school teachers : insights into self-sought learning Abstract: With the introduction of the sectorial agreement, signed between the Government and the Malta Union of Teachers in 2017 (see Ministry of Education, 2017) teachers have been incentivised to accelerate their salary scale progression following engagement in self-sought professional learning. This mixed methods research is intended to explore the importance attributed by secondary school teachers to professional learning and self-sought learning. Moreover, this study explores the ways in which teachers seek to develop professionally. Following the process of data collection of 166 questionnaires and 14 teacher interviews, quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using SPSS and MAXQDA respectively. Results show that teachers perceive professional learning as an important tool to develop further in their career and to help their students improve. However, participants still perceive professional learning as an addition to their workload, while job-embedded opportunities are not recognised as such. This thesis also sheds light on teachers’ views on collaborative learning, their learning preferences, and their past experiences. While teachers report that professional learning activities should aim to be fun, engaging, and related to their classroom practices and professional needs, they appear to lack experiences in more innovative approaches to professional learning such as participating in a network of teachers or conducting observation visits. With regards to learning voluntarily, while the majority of teachers are intrinsically motivated to pursue self-sought professional learning, they still mention the need to provide teachers with other incentives, namely monetary help. The main barriers the participants face when they wish to pursue further learning beyond school hours are those of “family responsibilities”, “lack of time”, and “money”. Moreover, a lack of appreciation from the authorities and society appears to be another demotivating factor for teachers. Finally, the implications and recommendations offered at the end of this thesis, highlight the importance of improving professional learning opportunities and experiences for teachers, that include approaches to cultivate more job-embedded professional learning opportunities, improve collaborative practices, and reduce the barriers faced by teachers so they can more readily participate in self-sought courses. Description: M.A.ED.LEADERSHIP&MANGT. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/74067 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/74062 Title: Transformational leadership in Gozo’s primary schools Abstract: We are living through momentous times when the Maltese educational system is undergoing ground-breaking educational reforms, which are shaping the future of our children. The recent removal of half-yearly examinations in all schools and the introduction of continuous assessment to monitor children’s progress seek to produce an educational system that caters for the wide range of needs and learning styles of all students. Hands-on learning is increasingly encouraged to make learning more meaningful, relevant to their lives and lifelong endeavour. The Malta National Curriculum Framework (2012) proposed that the Learning Outcomes Framework should be the lynchpin of learning and assessment throughout the years of compulsory schooling (NCF, 2012). The Learning Outcomes Framework supports and enables all stakeholders to have a clear picture of where the children are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to arrive there. The vision embraces a student-oriented perspective rather than a content oriented one. However, the daunting task to counter a diverse historical momentum needs more than an ideal vision. As Fullan (1993), succinctly put it, these new educational reforms are ‘pockets of innovation’, which heavily depend on the schools and the educators working in it. To this end, transformational leadership (TLP) whole-heartedly endorses these innovative ideas and allows them to filter into the system in a subtle way. Consequently, it is essential that leaders adopt a transformational style of ‘fearless leadership’ (Jackson and McDermott, 2012), characterised by a strong relationship between the leaders of the school and teachers for the benefit of all students. Bringing about a paradigm shift in leadership in our schools is a daunting challenge that leaders should nonetheless fearlessly take on. Indeed, adopting transformational strategies can make it possible for these new initiatives to take place in a more subtle way. To this end, this study investigated TLP in Gozo’s primary schools and how it affects teachers’ practices. This research also proposes recommendations for school improvement in Gozo’s primary schools. In line with the dissertation title ‘Transformational leadership in Gozo’s Primary Schools’, this research study examined the type of leadership mostly prevalent in Gozitan Primary Schools and investigated whether the dominant style was consonant with the best tenets underpinning transformational principles. The general consensus among researchers in this area was that TLP is necessary to motivate and guide schools to effect the necessary changes (Anderson, 2017). Three research questions guided the investigation into the multifaceted issue of TLP in Gozo’s primary schools. Data collected from Senior Leader Management Team as well as from teachers was analysed and evaluated, and valuable conclusions were drawn. Description: M.A.ED.LEADERSHIP&MANGT. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/74062 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/74057 Title: Leading intentionally : the human and educational responsibilities of an assistant head Abstract: This thesis investigates the role of assistant heads in primary schools from all three sectors of the Maltese educational system. It explores how assistant heads dedicate their time at school to not merely be educational managers whose work ensures school efficiency, but who intentionally transform and empower themselves to gain competence, confidence and credibility to serve as educational leaders. This research draws on a constructivist epistemology and uses a mixed-methods data collection design to collect data from assistant heads and teachers. 39 assistant heads and 130 teachers participated in the quantitative strand while 3 assistant heads and 3 teachers participated in the qualitative part of the research. Findings, presented thematically to answer the research questions, contribute to knowledge of the daily realities, practices and priorities of assistant heads. Moreover, data shed light on how assistant heads enhance their leadership by developing a dual directional axis leadership. This kind of leadership focuses not only on efficiency, but also on using intentional strategies to develop relationships which influence the process of school improvement. Emanating from the findings, this thesis discusses how assistant heads may facilitate a school environment which supports teaching and learning through genuine and intentional commitment, conversations and collaboration. This is primarily done through an ongoing process of learning about themselves and understanding the interpersonal, communication and decision-making skills they require to act and develop as leaders. Secondly, these leaders focus on their ethical beliefs and how these beliefs are translated into ethical actions which enable them to serve as catalysts to motivate and empower others, whilst also paying attention to details every day. Description: M.A.ED.LEADERSHIP&MANGT. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/74057 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z