The thesis is an exploratory and descriptive study focusing on the emotional
dimensions of collegial relationships in a primary school. The research is timely given
the current pressures to develop cultures of collaboration and shared leadership in
schools today. The study concentrates on the non-classroom work of teachers and
investigates three particular areas of school life: the collegial practices of staff; the
emotional milieu of teachers' work; and the contributions of members towards an
emotionally healthy staff community.
An interpretive tradition has been used in conducting the research, thus giving voice to
the perceptions of research participants about their work. The research was conducted
as an ethnographic case study. Data were gathered largely through participant
observation and interviews. The researcher visited the school on a regular basis
through the course of one school year, averaging over one day per week working in the
school. Eighteen staff members were formally interviewed, the principal and assistant
principal on several occasions. Extensive fieldnotes and interview transcripts were
created and, aided by NVivo, a computer package for the analysis of non-statistical data,
data were broken down into categories and resynthesised to bring to life a picture of the
lived reality of collegiality for staff members in a primary school.
The study adds to new knowledge in several important ways. First, it allows for a
reconceptualisation of teachers' work. It shows how many different practices
contribute to a collegial culture within a primary school and demonstrates how the
social and emotional dimensions of collegiality are significant in the development of
professional relationships. Second, the study develops an understanding of emotional
labour for school personnel and contributes importantly to a broader picture of how
emotional labour can be practiced, particularly for the sake of collegiality. It is posited
that different kinds of emotional labour exist within the school setting, and that
emotional labour in schools may be different from that in some other service
organisations. The study explores bounded emotionality as a cultural practice among
staff, suggesting that it allows expression of emotions about classroom work while at
the same time constrains negative emotional displays so as to build and maintain
community. The study suggests that the principles of bounded emotionality, as they
operate within the primary school, present both benefits and burdens for a collegial
staff, but may encourage an emotionally healthy workplace.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219053 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Jarzabkowski, Lucy M., n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Teacher Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Lucy M. Jarzabkowski |
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