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Towards Headship: Developing Leadership and Management Skills in an Italian University Master Course

Giovanna Barzanò, Giovanni Moretti

Abstract


This article reports on an exploratory qualitative study undertaken with the students of the tenth edition of the «Leadership and Management in Education Master Course» (LMEMC) held in Italy by the Department of Education of the University Roma Tre and attended by educational professionals from Greece and Italy, in prevalence aspiring to career improvement and new leadership roles. The study is part of an in-depth self-evaluation process aimed at updating the course activities and exploring professional adult learning. Our data consists of 65 written interviews, undertaken with student-teachers and focusing on their motivations and their positive and negative expectations towards leadership roles. After referring to the international debate on leadership preparation and development, we situate the LMEMC looking at: (a) the context of Italian HE postgraduate studies; (b) the context of educational leadership preparation and development in Italy and in Greece; (c) the course design and delivery strategies. We then describe the methodologies and research tools employed and draw from our results some hints for possible new developments in the LMEMC and in leadership preparation activities. Our data also allows us to reflect on the benefits of sustainable self-evaluation processes of adult learning activities.


Keywords


Adult learning; Headship preparation; Leadership development; Postgraduate studies; Teacher professional learning; Educazione degli adulti; Preparazione dei dirigenti scolastici; Studi post-laurea; Sviluppo della leadership educativa

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.7358/ecps-2015-011-barz

Copyright (©) 2015 Journal of Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies (ECPS Journal) – Editorial format and Graphical layout: copyright (©) LED Edizioni Universitarie



 


Journal of Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies (ECPS)
Registered by Tribunale di Milano (19/05/2010 n. 278)
Online ISSN 2037-7924 - Print ISSN 2037-7932

Research Laboratory on Didactics and Evaluation - Department of Education - "Roma Tre" University


Executive Editor: Gaetano Domenici - Associate Executive Editor & Managing  Editor: Valeria Biasci
Editorial Board: Eleftheria Argyropoulou - Massimo Baldacci - Joao Barroso - Richard Bates - Christofer Bezzina - Paolo Bonaiuto - Lucia Boncori - Pietro Boscolo - Sara Bubb  - Carlo Felice Casula - Jean-Émile Charlier - Lucia Chiappetta Cajola - Carmela Covato - Jean-Louis Derouet - Peter Early - Franco Frabboni - Constance Katz - James Levin - Pietro Lucisano  - Roberto Maragliano - Romuald Normand - Michael Osborne - Donatella Palomba - Michele Pellerey - Clotilde Pontecorvo - Vitaly V. Rubtzov - Jaap Scheerens - Noah W. Sobe - Francesco Susi - Giuseppe Spadafora - Pat Thomson
Editorial Staff: Fabio Alivernini - Guido Benvenuto - Anna Maria Ciraci - Massimiliano Fiorucci - Luca Mallia - Massimo Margottini - Giovanni Moretti - Carla Roverselli 
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