Understanding Instructional Leadership Through the Mental Models of Three Elementary School Principals

Abstract

Mental models are described and discussed as a means of communicating the underlying aspects of instructional leadership. An empirical study identifying the mental models of instructional leadership held by three urban elementary school principals at different stages in their careers was used to support the thesis. Using a collective case study design, the similarities and differences in mental models of a novice principal and two experienced principals, one of whom was an award winning principal, were examined. The results demonstrated differing levels of integration as well as variation regarding the conceptualization of instructional leadership. This study underscored the usefulness of the mental model concept in discussing instructional leadership.

Principal theories of practice : mapping the cognitive structure and effects of instructional leadership

“…Following the structure of schema analysis, the researchers identified the principal mental models of instructional leadership as consisting of an (a) perception focus, (b) standard for assessment, and (c) approach design. Ruff and Shoho (2005) discovered that the cognitive structures that emerged in all three principal concepts of instructional leadership mirrored the structures of mental models in earlier literature. The authors found that while the "issues, conditions, routines, and words used to describe" the principal mental models were similar, the "tacit meaning each principal attached" were different (p. 571).…”

“…Allison and Allison (1993), Leithwood, Steinbach, and Raun (1993), and Ruff and Shoho (2005) conducted studies that advanced research into principal cognitive processes for problem-solving and may suggest directions for future study regarding principal use of theories of practice. Allison and Allison (1993) applied schema theory to investigate how school administrators of varying experience levels approached practical problem solving.…”

“…Leithwood et al found Ruff and Shoho (2005) did not study principal "theories of practice" per se, but their study on elementary school principal "mental models" explored school leader cognitive processes in a way that parallels Argyris and Schön's (1974) concepts and suggests possible ways to operationalize theories of action for future studies. Ruff and Shoho (2005) conducted a qualitative investigation of three urban elementary school principals, purposefully chosen because of their relative levels of experience (one firstyear principal; one experienced principal; and one veteran, award-winning principal).…”

“…The specific findings of Ruff and Shoho's (2005) study are informative to the topic of instructional leadership, but their most important contribution was testing the construct of mental models for describing principals' cognitive processes vis-à-vis instructional leadership. There are parallels between Ruff and Shoho's understanding of mental models and Argyris and Schön's concept of theories of practice.…”

“…Initial research indicates the models of reflective practice accurately describe the professional behavior of teachers (Ferry & Ross-Gordon, 1998;Kirby & Paradise, 1992;Kirby & Teddlie, 1989;Tsangaridou & O'Sullivan, 2000), and have promise for improving the effectiveness of principals (Erlandson, 1994;Polite, 2000). In particular, Ruff and Shoho's (2005) concept of mental models offers a promising way to describe how theories of practice work in the cognitive processes of principals.…”