IJE

The Impact of Principal’s Transformational Democratic Leadership Style on Teachers’ Job Satisfaction and Commitment
Abdul Ghani Kanesan Abdullah, Cheah Lee Wah & Aziah Ismail
School of Educational Studies
Universiti Sains Malaysia

Abstract
Numerous researchers have noted the incompatibility between the classical authoritarian approach to leading schools and the new realities of school reform and educational improvement in this era of change. Discussions of the connection between leadership and school improvement have increasingly included the notion of democratic and transformational leadership among professional educators at the school sites. This study investigated the profile of leadership styles of Malaysian secondary school principals based on autocratic-democratic and transformational- transactional dimensions of leadership styles, to see how wide spread transformational democratic leadership practice is in Malaysian schools. In addition to that, it also investigated the correlations between principals’ leadership styles and teachers’ organizational commitment and job satisfaction, as a way to check the effectiveness or non-effectiveness of different leadership styles. A quantitative technique method was used to collect data from 1200 teachers of 120 secondary schools across the four States of Northern Peninsular Malaysia, namely, Penang, Kedah, Perlis and Northern Perak. Findings of the study revealed that school leadership practice in Malaysia is keeping apace with contemporary recommendations that school principal adopt a more democratic and transformational leadership as a way to promote higher levels of school performance and greater teachers’ job satisfaction. The results of this study also indicate that there is significant correlation between democratic transformational practices satisfaction but not with teacher’s commitment. The results also confirmed that effective leadership practices could explain significant variance in teachers’ satisfaction and commitment as well as departmental performance. These findings are discussed in the light of currently available research literatures and both practical as well as theoretical implications of the study are highlighted. Future qualitative studies are needed to provide deeper insight. Finally, it was suggested to provide opportunities for principals to practice more democratic transformational leadership behavior by empowering teachers in the decision-making to increase teacher’s job satisfaction and commitment.

Keywords: School Managers, Transformational Democratic Leadership, Leadership Practices and Effectiveness, Teachers’ Outcomes

IJE Vol.3 No.1, Oct 2008 Abdul Ghani Kanesan Abdullah, Aziah Ismail, Cheah Lee Wah, IJE Vol.3 No.1, Leadership Practices and Effectiveness, Oct 2008, School Managers, Teachers’ Outcomes, Transformational Democratic Leadership

Transformative TVET Teacher Education through Critical Pedagogy

Sandra Sukhan
York University, Toronto,Canada, sphoenix@yorku.ca

Abstract
The UNESCO Decade of Education for Sustainability, requiring teachers to prepare their students for global citizenship, necessitates a shift from an outcomes-based, business model of acquiring skills to preparing students to question the intersections between training for employment and transformative education. Most college instructors understand the economics of profit margins and also balance the roles as parents, co-workers, union activists and learners. This paper addresses the limitations of college level technical/vocational education as being too focused on specific content to the exclusion of larger social and environmental issues such as the protection of the environment, the disparity between rich and poor, and the critical need to incorporate them into a 21st century college curricula, as well as why TVET teacher education should take up this challenge of becoming change agents in the college experience. TVET teacher training could facilitate the process of self reflexivity, allowing teachers to question their subjectivity and create a transformative learning environment.

Keywords: critical pedagogy, transformative education, sustainable livelihood, TVET

IJE Vol.3 No.1, Oct 2008 critical pedagogy, IJE Vol.3 No.1, Oct 2008, Sandra Sukhan, sustainable livelihood, transformative education, TVET

Challenges of the Recognition of Competences Acquired Informally and Non-Formally by VET Teachers

Jordi Planas
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona – GRET, Spain

Abstract
VET Teachers have been characterized by complex and diversified learning process. A number of VET teachers have mixed professional pathways – teaching and working outside the educational system. This mixed experience is considered in the VET centers as a guarantee of better teaching, because the teachers are more familiar with working life. The socioeconomic networking activities of VET centers highlight the social networking capacity. For this reason the recognition of competences acquired non-formally or informally by VET teachers takes a central place in the careers of VET teachers. Would it be useful to incorporate this mechanism of recognition in the “trans-national standards of teachers’ education for VET”? In the EU context, there has been a debate on the mechanisms for recognition of competences acquired non-formally or informally. This paper discusses the recognition of the competences acquired by VET teachers in non-formal and informal ways based on the experience of recognition of prior learning in the EU.

Keywords: VET teachers, networking capacity, recognition of competences

IJE Vol.3 No.1, Oct 2008 IJE Vol.3 No.1, Jordi Planas, May 2008, networking capacity, recognition of competences, VET teachers

Methodological Issues in Policy Research: Between Different Research Paradigms

Dr. Hazri Jamil
School of Educational Studies Universiti Sains Malaysia
Penang, MALAYSIA

Abstract
This article is concerned with exploring the different methodological approaches in education policy research and discussed their strengths and weaknesses. The discussion of different research methodological approaches in policy research in this article is based on different social inquiry perspectives, so-called positivist, interpretive and critical perspective of policy research. As the way of addressing this issue and without claiming absolute distinction between these two approaches, this article tended to encourage a thoughtful methodological approach that should considered fundamental assumptions about social reality and the policy phenomenon being studied.

Keywords: Policy study, Educational policy, Research Methodology, Research method, Paradigm.

IJE Vol.3 No.1, Oct 2008 Dr. Hazri Jamil, Educational policy, IJE Vol.3 No.1, Oct 2008, Paradigm, Policy study, Research method, Research Methodology

Conceptualisation of Teacher Commitment as a Multidimensional Construct

Nordin Abd Razak
School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Abstract

Commitment has gained substantial interest in organisational research. It is significantly rooted in the belief that committed employees demonstrate differing degrees of organisational and individual outcomes such as employee turnover, performance, and their intention to stay or leave an organization. A similar situation also occurs in educational settings, where teacher commitment is believed to be one of the critical factors for school effectiveness and for the future success of education and schooling. However, studies of teacher commitment were not common. Reyes (1990) argued that commitment had become an increasingly important issue to explore, in light of the recent decline in loyalty across many social organisations. This article seeks to explain and describe the significance of ‘teacher commitment’, and further conceptualises this concept as a multidimensional construct that consists of teacher commitment to: (a) the school, (b) students (c) teaching work, and (d) the teaching profession.

Keywords: commitment, teacher commitment, commitment to the school, commitment to student, commitment to teaching work, and commitment to teaching profession.

IJE Vol.3 No.1, Oct 2008 and commitment to teaching profession, commitment, commitment to student, commitment to teaching work, commitment to the school, IJE Vol.3 No.1, Nordin Abd Razak, Oct 2008, teacher commitment

Malaysian Science Teachers’ Conceptions on Constructivist Practice: Recommendations for Teacher Education

Ong Eng Tek
Faculty of Education, Sultan Idris University of Education, MALAYSIA

Kenneth Ruthven
Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, MALAYSIA

Abstract

This article reports the teachers’ conceptions on constructivist practice. Nine teachers from two Smart and two Mainstream Schools were interviewed with regard to the use of constructivist approach as part of their science teaching repertoire. They were asked to self-rate their constructivist practices and subsequently, talk about their constructivist practices, exemplifying any constructivist teaching episodes to support their contentions. The findings indicate that teachers from both Smart and Mainstream Schools rated the extent to which they elicited students’ pre-instructional view as ‘moderate’, at the least. While there were a variety of techniques to uncover students’ pre-instructional views, the teachers resorted mainly to questioning technique. Aimed to elicit students’ pre-instructional views, these views seemed to reflect three categories of knowledge; life relevance, preconceptions, and curriculum-related. The findings are discussed in the context of wider literature. This article ends with some recommendations for science teacher education, particularly in relation to ensuring the effectiveness of pre- and in-service teacher training.

Keywords: Constructivist Teaching, Pre-instructional Views, Smart Schools, Science Education

IJE Vol.3 No.1, Oct 2008 Constructivist Teaching, IJE Vol.3 No.1, Kenneth Ruthven, Oct 2008, Ong Eng Tek, Pre-instructional Views, Science Education, Smart Schools

Contents

Malaysian Science Teachers’ Conceptions on Constructivist Practice:
Recommendations for Teacher Education

Ong Eng Tek & Kenneth Ruthven

Conceptualisation of Teacher Commitment as a Multidimensional Construct

Nordin Abd Razak

Methodological Issues in Policy Research: Between Different Research Paradigms

Dr. Hazri Jamil

Challenges of the Recognition of Competences Acquired Informally and Non-Formally by VET Teachers

Jordi Planas

Transformative TVET Teacher Education through Critical Pedagogy

Sandra Sukhan

The Impact of Principal’s Transformational Democratic Leadership Style on Teachers’ Job Satisfaction and Commitment

Abdul Ghani Kanesan Abdullah, Cheah Lee Wah & Aziah Ismail

IJE Vol.3 No.1, Oct 2008 IJE Vol.3 No.1, Oct 2008

THE OCCURRENCE OF INTERRUPTIONS IN THE CONVERSATION OF AUSTRALIAN AND INDONESIAN COUPLES

Arzal

The State University of Gorontalo, The Department English

Abstract

This study investigates the occurrence of interruptions in the conversations of Australian couples and Indonesian couples. It analyzes the type of interruptions occurring in the conversation among them, the kind of responses toward those interruptions and the frequency of interruptions.. The participants in this study are three Indonesian couples and three Australian couples. A couple in this study was identified as being in a husband and wife relationship in order to get the conversation more comparable, natural, and this may affect the gendered occurrence of interruptions. The participants are all aged between 20 – 50 years old. The data were analysed qualitatively based on the theory of conversational analysis. This study found that most of the types of interruptions outlined by previous researchers in this particular interest of study occurred in Australian and Indonesian couples. Those types of interruptions also have been extended in terms of its definition and the significant related findings in this study. Types of responses as the postiiuerruptions seemed to be mostly a cooperates and re-introduces categories.

Keywords: Interruption, conversation

IJE Vol.2 No.2, May 2008 Arzal, conversation, IJE Vol.2 No.2, Interruption, May 2008

THE PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHERS ON FORM 4 MATHEMATICS TEACHING COURSEWARE:

A CASE STUDY

Norhashimi bin Saad and Tham Siew Wai

Department of Curriculum and  Instructional Technology,
Faculty of Education, University of Malaya

Abstract

This study investigates teachers’ perceptions on Form 4 mathematics teaching courseware provided by the Malaysian Ministry of Education.  It addresses the extent to which the courseware fulfills the requirements of instructional design and promotes students’ motivation. Involving three mathematics teachers in Kuala Lumpur, the data are teachers’ responses to questionnaires.  Triangulation involved observation of teaching and learning activities and structured interview with samples. Findings revealed that teachers have positive perceptions on the courseware compliant with Gagné’s nine events of instruction and have acknowledged the importance of using the teaching courseware to complement traditional teaching of mathematics.  Teachers had not shown great preference in using the courseware since the subject demands great flexibilities in promoting understanding among different students’ capabilities. Teachers have shown conditional support for a computer-based instruction.  The provision of quality teaching courseware shall support teaching of mathematics and to promote e-learning opportunities among Malaysian teachers and students.

Keywords: perception, mathematics courseware, motivation, instructional design

IJE Vol.2 No.2, May 2008 IJE Vol.2 No.2, instructional design, mathematics courseware, May 2008, motivation, Norhashimi bin Saad, perception, Tham Siew Wai

GLANCES AT HIGHER EDUCATION HISTORY IN POST SOVIET MUSLIM SOCIETIES: CASE OF UZBEKISTAN

Pulatkhon Lutfullayev

PhD student, Faculty of Education, University of Malaya

Abstract

Education system in the former Soviet Union states is a vital instrument of state governance. It is used as a powerful machine to control properties, institutions, and mass media to limit people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions. From the decline of the Tsar’s government (1917) and Lenin’s succession until Gorbachev rule (1990), education has been given a careful attention by mounting periodic campaigns to reform the educational system. This paper discusses the roots of establishments of higher education in Uzbekistan. Competing and contradictory demands for higher education faced by the Soviet society in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s are highlighted. The demise and consequences of Soviet higher education, which now face strong difficulties for reform, are argued as provided by the case of present Uzbekistan. This paper poses possibilities for new historical research and investigations for a better understanding of the Uzbek education system.

Keywords: education system, former Soviet Union states, reform

IJE Vol.2 No.2, May 2008 education system, former Soviet Union states, IJE Vol.2 No.2, May 2008, Pulatkhon Lutfullayev, reform