Social Media Comment on Leaders in International Schools

The Causes of Negative Comments and the Implications for Leadership Practices

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11637987
AutoresTristan Bunnell (0000-0002-4460-3749, University of Bath, autor de correspondencia)
Año2018
Volumen93
Número5
Páginas551-564
Fecha de publicación2018-10-20
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaPeabody Journal of Education (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0161-956X • E-ISSN: 1532-7930
EditorialTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0161956x.2018.1515815
OpenAlexW2914028152
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas8
Referencias citadas30

The diverse body of international schools continues to grow and develop. Yet, the realities of being a leader in such a school continue to be neglected by discussion and research. It is acknowledged that international schools are complex organizations to lead and manage, with numerous boundaries, transient stakeholders, and opposing priorities. They exist as very challenging arenas for leadership, ripe for conflict and tension. This article uses anonymized comments on the social media website internationalschoolreview.com (ISR.com) to explore how and why teachers might post negative comments on school leaders. The framework of the “toxic triangle” is used as an instrument for presenting the comments. The article then discusses the implications for leadership practices. In particular, the comments on ISR.com reveal how isolated international schools are, with seemingly few options for teachers to release the “pressure valve” if unhappy or unsatisfied by what they might deem to be unethical and immoral leadership behavior. Further, the comments show how loosely coupled and fragmented the schools are, and many of the teachers themselves exist in a precarious state of anxiety. Overall, the comments add substantial weight to the argument that international schools are complex and challenging leadership environments

Argument (complex analysis · Educational leadership · Pedagogy · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · State (computer science · Global Education and Multiculturalism · Parental Involvement in Education · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies