This research study explores the issue of teacher leadership in South-East Queensland Anglican schools. An initial exploration of the context of Anglican education in South-East Queensland confirmed that both nationally and within the Anglican system, hierarchical understandings of school leadership were being challenged amidst a growing expectation of teacher leadership. However, despite this expectation of teacher leadership, there was little in respect to formal policy and resource support for teacher leadership within South-East Queensland Anglican schools. This research study seeks to gain a more informed and sophisticated understanding of teacher leadership, with particular focus on the perspective of classroom teachers. A comprehensive analysis of key literature in educational change, professionalism in education and educational leadership, revealed a number of key insights that informed this study. Significant socio-economic change in recent decades has brought about corresponding educational change. This has resulted in a call for greater professionalism in education and a new paradigm of educational leadership. Within this context, there is new interest in distributing leadership beyond the formal role of the principal and into the hands of teacher leaders. However, a further review of the literature highlighted the lack of a clear conceptualisation of teacher leadership. While teacher leadership is predominantly considered in the literature as the domain of those in formal, positional roles, less is known about informal, in-class teacher leadership. Based on these insights, the researcher identified one major research question: How do teachers, who are recognised as teacher leaders in South-East Queensland Anglican schools, conceptualise teacher leadership? To answer this research question, four research sub-questions were posed: Behaviour of teacher leaders - What do they do? Purpose of teacher leadership - Why do teachers strive for this? Feelings of teacher leaders - How do they feel about what they do? Support for teacher leaders - What do they need? This research study is situated within the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism. As both a perspective and a method, symbolic interactionism is situated within a pragmatic constructivist research paradigm. This research study explored a restricted group of 16 teachers within three South-East Queensland Anglican schools, and employed qualitative research methods including Experience Sampling Method and focus group interviews. The findings of this research study suggest that teacher leaders in South-East Queensland Anglican schools have a confused conceptualisation of teacher leadership, with little common symbolic language to delineate the phenomenon. This study made the following conclusions in relation to teacher leadership in South-East Queensland Anglican schools: The broad understanding of teacher leadership is unrecognised in the field of education. Teacher leadership is a complex phenomenon. Teacher leadership is principled action in support of learning. There is untapped potential for teacher leaders to act as change agents in school revitalisation. Collegial relationships, the provision of time, relevant professional development and administrative support enable teacher leadership There is a need for a role-making policy to support teacher leadership. The development of teacher leadership in South-East Queensland Anglican schools requires support from the Anglican Schools Commission, school principals and the teachers themselves, through deliberate action in developing appropriate policy and practice.

This study reports research employing a three-phase methodology to investigate the nature and communication of the school culture of the Anglican Church Grammar School Brisbane. A preliminary survey with open-ended questions was used to obtain general opinion on the nature of the school's culture, how it is communicated and the role of the school's organisation structure in communicating the school's culture. From the results of this preliminary survey, a set of ratings was developed and given to randomly selected samples of ex-students, parents, staff and senior students. A descriptive statistical analysis of this main survey was used in providing answers to the research questions concerning the nature of the school's culture, the influence of the school's organisational structure on it, and how the culture is communicated within the school and to the general public. Data from the main survey were used to develop a set of scales, the Communication of School Culture Instrument, which was used to give comparisons of the perceptions of school culture by the four population sub-groups (viz. ex-students, parents, staff & students) of the school. Statistical findings from the surveys and the CSCI were complemented by a series of in-depth interviews of representatives of the school population sub-groups. Analysis of data suggested that, whilst the school's sub-groups generally shared perceptions about the nature of the school's culture, there were significant differences of opinion about how this culture was communicated and influenced by the school's organisational structure. There was also a significant difference of perspective between the adult males and females of the total school population. An analysis of perspective of ex-students from different time periods of attending the school from the 1920s to present, did not show any significant differences in perspective, suggesting a constancy of the school's culture over time. Several other areas of investigation which would be worthy of further attention are the role of mothers and female members of staff in a boys' school, and the impact of boarding students as a sub-culture would be worthy of further study in this school.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Australia, 2006.

[Truncated abstract] Within the State of Western Australia, from its early years, education has been provided not only by the State, but also by religious denominations, particularly the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church and other Christian groups. This thesis is concerned with Anglican education in the State from the years 1917-92. The particular focus is on the structures established for the provision of Anglican education in the Diocese of Perth throughout the period. The central argument of the thesis is as follows. During the period 1917-92, the structures established for the provision of Anglican education in the Diocese of Perth changed across four subperiods: 1917-50, 1951-60, 1961-80 and 1981-92. During the first subperiod, provision was made under structures which allow for the schools which existed to be classified according to three ‘types’: ‘religious-order schools’, ‘parish schools’, and ‘schools of the Council for Church of England Schools’. The first two types continued during the second subperiod and were joined by two new types, namely, ‘Perth Diocesan Trustees’ schools’ and ‘synod schools’, while ‘schools of the Council for Church of England Schools’ceased as a type. During the third subperiod ‘synod schools’ continued as a type, but the other three types ceased to exist. At the same time, one new type emerged, namely, ‘schools of the Church of England Schools’ Trust’. During the fourth subperiod there were also two types of schools within the Diocese, but the situation was not the same as in the previous subperiod because while ‘synod schools’ continued as a type, ‘Perth Diocesan Trustees’ schools’ ceased to exist. Furthermore, a new type was established, namely ‘schools of the Anglican Schools Commission’. This two-type structure for provision which was established during the sub-period 1981-92, is still that which exists to the present day for the provision of Anglican education within the Diocese of Perth.