Pedagoginen johtajuus ja sen vaje yleissivistävän perusopetuksen järjestelmä- ja systeemitason muutoksessa

Abstract

The first aim of this study is to explore and define what pedagogical leadership in basic education is in Finland. The second aim is to investigate the inadequacy of pedagogical leadership in change on organisational and systemic levels. The research is a qualitative case study that is analyzed using phenomenological-thematic analysis. Pedagogical leadership in basic education is defined through four axioms composed of the terms ‘pedagogical’ and ‘learning community’. It is based on eight international theories and trends of educational leadership that emphasise pedagogy and a positive attitude towards change. The theoretical axioms describing pedagogical leadership are follows: (1) the centre of pedagogical leadership consists of learning and a learner whose learning conditions, growth and welfare are taken care of; (2) the pedagogical values of pedagogical leadership are humanity, civilisation, democracy and equality; (3) school is a learning community that acts according to the principals of pedagogical values and the learning community; and (4) pedagogical leadership leads in change. The inadequacy of pedagogical leadership is explored in interview data gathered from 14 Finnish basic school principals. These principals discuss the organisation-specific and systemic (the 1998 Basic Education Act 628/1998) change of basic education. The inadequacy of pedagogical leadership appears as follows: (1) school does not focus on learning and learners; (2) a lack of common values slows down the emergence of a collaborative culture; (3) pedagogical leadership will not work unless the school leaders exercise their power to organise it; and (4) if there is no commitment to change and the way of thinking in the community does no change, change will not occur, will be only partial, or at any rate there is a risk that the change would not be permanent. In a learning community, where leadership is shared, action is collective, and responsibility is collegial, so is the responsibility for inadequacy. The inadequacy of pedagogical leadership always appears differently and is not always negative. Leadership leads in change as well as inadequacy.