6: Policy, Administration, and Management of Education
Language:
English
Country affiliation of author or of first author:
France
Type of publication:
Article published in a peer-reviewed journal
Name of author or of first author:
Guy Tchibozo
Reference:
Tchibozo, G. (2024). A tool for specifying the dynamics of school-to-work transitions, social reproduction, and social trajectories: The AGIC Calculator. Education Thinking, 4(1), 35–38. https://pub.analytrics.org/article/16/
Main keyword:
Social dynamics
Summary:
One of the best-known criticisms of traditional education systems concerns their deterministic impact on the social trajectory of learners, which maintains and reinforces social inequality. However, previous analysis (Tchibozo, 2004) has shown that the effect of schools on learners' education-to-work transitions can be not only deterministic, but also random or chaotic. A new tool, the AGIC Calculator, has recently been developed to enable educators, guidance counsellors, policy makers and researchers to specify in a practical way the dynamics of learners' school-to-work transitions and to analyse more precisely social reproduction, and more generally to precisely analyse the dynamics of any type of social trajectory. This note outlines the main points of the problem and the value of the AGIC calculator for guidance counselling, education policy and research in this field. /// Une critique bien etablie a l'encontre des systèmes éducatifs traditionnels concerne leur impact déterministe sur la trajectoire sociale des apprenants, qui maintient et renforce l'inégalité sociale. Cependant, des analyses antérieures (Tchibozo, 2004) ont montré que l'effet des écoles sur les transitions éducation-travail des apprenants peut être non seulement déterministe, mais aussi aléatoire ou chaotique. Un nouvel outil, le Calculateur AGIC, a été récemment développé pour permettre aux éducateurs, aux conseillers d'orientation, aux décideurs politiques et aux chercheurs de spécifier de manière pratique la dynamique des transitions école-travail des apprenants, d'analyser plus précisément la reproduction sociale, et plus généralement d'analyser précisément la dynamique de tout type de trajectoire sociale. Cette note souligne l'interet du calculateur AGIC pour le conseil en orientation, la politique éducative, et la recherche dans ces domaines.
Cleary, S., O'Brien, M., & Pendergast, D. (2023). Exploring the links between psychological capital, professional learning communities, and teacher wellbeing: An examination of the literature. Education Thinking, 3(1), 41–60. https://pub.analytrics.org/article/13/
Main keyword:
Professional Learning Communities
Summary:
Recent research points to the significant role that Psychological Capital (PsyCap) plays in predicting teacher wellbeing (Luthans, Youssef, & Avolio, 2006; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), and in preventing burnout (Chang, 2009; Dussault & Deaudelin, 1999; Fullan, 2001; Hakanen et al., 2006; Maslach et al., 2001). PsyCap, the complex and malleable, "state-like" constructs of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, is influential in increasing motivation in work and educational settings. Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE) (Goddard et al., 2015; Ramos et al., 2014; Sandoval et al., 2011) has also been found to positively impact teacher’s experiences through the enhancement of persistence, job satisfaction and professional commitment, expectations for students and effective implementation of change. What is not evident is how these two constructs interact, and to what extent they inform teacher wellbeing. Intriguingly, the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) could serve as a crucial interface between PsyCap and CTE, facilitating a symbiotic relationship that magnifies their individual impacts on teacher wellbeing. PLCs not only provide a structured environment for collective problem-solving and shared expertise (Stoll et al., 2006), but also cultivate a sense of community that could potentially elevate these psychological constructs. This study investigates the literature to consider the potential relationship between PsyCap and CTE and the implications for supporting teacher wellbeing within the implementation of a Community of Practice (CoP) approach to professional learning.
A Systematic Qualitative Literature Review (SQLR) methodology (Pickering & Byrne, 2013) explores the intersections of psychological capital, collective teacher efficacy, and teacher wellbeing in the context of PLCs. The SQLR methodology applies specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, with 26 studies identified for review. The analysis identified connectedness between the PsyCap components of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism with teacher wellbeing, in particular to elements shown to mitigate teacher burnout, and which can be considered indicators in the assessment of wellness. The CTE and CoP literature highlights the importance of shared vision, structured collaboration, regular reflection, supportive leadership, celebration of successes, and fostering trust, as factors that facilitate positive teacher experiences within the processes of professional learning and navigating change. This analysis offers insights into how PsyCap and CTE may interact with and inform teacher wellbeing in the PLC professional learning context.