Wijayatilake, Claire (2012) An autoethnographic inquiry into my practice and experiences as a teacher trainer and beginning principal at two international schools in Sri Lanka. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This thesis uses autoethography to explore the process of leading a teacher training programme in an international school in Sri Lanka, as well as the experience of becoming a Principal of another international school. It comprises two narrative accounts: the first of 20,000 words, describes a year spent in one of the most prestigious international schools in Colombo, and the second of 5,000 words, describes my first three months as Principal of a school in another, smaller town. These two narratives describe events soon after they happened. In the case of the first narrative, I use reflective techniques and the passage of time to look back on the events and my reactions to them from a different perspective. Using qualitative techniques of open and selective coding, the narratives as well as interviews with 15 teachers from the first school were analysed. This revealed the importance of school culture and of respecting the local culture, as well as the need for international schools to maintain contact with the local community. In terms of school leadership the thesis highlights the role of the school principal as the architect and nurturer of school culture, and highlights the role autoethnography can play in developing one’s own leadership skills. I attempt to evaluate my own autoethnographic accounts in terms of criteria presented by Bochner and Richardson (2000), and demonstrate my own process of personal and professional development. The thesis presents a case for the application of autoethnography to the fields of teacher development and school leadership.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	L Education > LC Special aspects of education
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Teachers -- Training of -- Sri Lanka -- Personal narratives, International schools -- Sri Lanka -- Personal narratives, School principals -- Sri Lanka -- Personal narratives
Date:	April 2012
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Centre for English Language Teacher Education
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Richards, Keith, 1952- ; Mann, Steve
Extent:	vi, 374 leaves
Language:	eng
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/51694

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