Masters research module ... choosing a topic!

Research rollercoaster … part 2

Thought journal regarding Module 2 – Research Methodology for Learning and Teaching

I am currently studying a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership & Management and the send module requires that I choose a topic on which to base a major research project.  The module involves critiquing a published paper, designing a major research project proposal and finally carrying out a critical evaluation of the design process of writing a major project proposal.

Having uploaded, amended several times and reloaded my initial thoughts on on the VLE as to how I might tackle this, I thought it may provide an interesting blog (to some!) while affording me the opportunity to invite feedback from the experts out there who may be able to offer guidance.

I recently posted my first blog which alluded to the topic that I have settled on - there is a link to this further into the blog.

Below are my thoughts on the direction of the module so far - I would be grateful for any comments/suggestions that may help; whether you are generally behind the idea of performance management or starkly against it.  Perhaps you have a particular view regarding performance related pay?????? (Thanks for reading!)

Choosing a topic …

There are many areas within my role as School Business Manager that would offer themselves to this type of research project.  I initially picked 3 that I consider to be interesting enough to spend a significant amount of time researching and key to our current strategy thus providing insight and hopefully valuable impact on the school’s development plan.

The thought map below depicts my areas of interest and the topic development potential identified initially:

Following further thought and discussion with my Principal (line manager) and course tutor I narrowed the choice down to two options; the creation of a SWOT analysis confirmed my decision to pursue the Performance Management thread.    

SWOT analysis below:

Module 2 - Choosing a Topic SWOT Analysis
Topic		Strengths	Weaknesses	Opportunities	Threats
Performance Management	Staff	Engagement	Lack of engagement	See 'Individual Objectives' below	Staff becomming less involved than before PM introduced - need for sensitivity and support.  Staff may be naturally sceptical/synical - it is important that they are comfortable with the fact that this is being introduced to improve conditions for them as well as streamline and support management objectives.  The most effective PM will be a two way process.
		Motivation	Alienation	See 'Individual Objectives' below	Staff relations - conflict between those engaging  and those not supporting
		Individual objectives (ownership of projects/ideas	Time pressures - to carry out projects/training (also issues with time out of class)	Training opportunities for staff to specialise into areas of interest to them (within the constraints of the SIP (School Improvement Plan)).  Improvements in practice may result in time pressures being releived or may result in more lengthy procedures	Staff may feel pressured.  Time pressures - see 'Opportunitie's (left)
		Group objectives		Whole school/Key Stage strategy/policy improvements	Need to allow for flexibility
	Students	Well-being		Practices may be changed as a result of objectives - potential positive impact on student well-being	Ensure that pupils are informed of changes - some may not cope well with change
		Attainment		Training can be linked to specific attainment abjectives	Needs to be carefully implemented so that students do not feel under pressure to achieve
	Organisation	Commitment to School Improvement Plan	May not be able to achieve opportunities due to funding limitations	Top down strategy can be implemented through PM	Needs to allow for bottom up feedback (see 'opportunities' left)
		Clarity of school's vision	Could be a tendency to wait to implement important issues due to timings of objective setting/review meetings - need to allow for flexibility	School's vision can be developed as improvements in practice allow	Many opportunities may be identified - without direction this could become overwhelming - needs to be planned effectively and realistically
		Commitment to training	Staff booking irrelevant courses to be seen to be productive	Excellent training opportunities may be taken up providing an opportunity to shape and improve our practice	Need to ensure best procedures are available for information on courses to be fed back to staff (in order that practices are improved and staff know why).
		Staff Well-being	Those negative to the process will undoubtedly feel pressured/agrieved	Staff positive to the process will feel empowered	Dissention in the ranks
		Student well-being	'Labelling'of students	New procedures will improve strategies for vulnerable groups at WH
	Collaboration	Share improved practice		Build links with other schools/agencies to create better provision
	Statutory/ Policy/ Governance	Reporting	staff booking irrelevant courses to be seen to be productive	Data can be provided for external agencies such as The DFE and OFSTED - not just stating CPD for example but drilling down to the specific impact on Teaching and Learning/practice/policy/ buildings etc	Need to ensure school's vision is caried out rather than being blinkered by data
			Constraints of software	Opportunity to work with Software provider to tailor the system to our requirements	Tied into (and therefore at the mercy of) the software company chosen.
		Policy compliance structured	Time to research requirements	Improved systems	Changes to statutory requirements
	HR	PM can assist with providing supporting data for HR requirements	Only as good as the data entered	System may be used to support capability proceedings for example	data needs to be entered accurately and in the correct format
	Funding & Buildings	Compliance	Time to research requirements	Training in key (statutory) areas can be incorporated in PM	Changes to statutory obligations
		Commitment to School Improvement Plan	May not be able to achieve opportunities due to funding limitations	Diarised challenges can be set	Bidding calendar may not tie in with academic year
				Opportunity to find additional sources of funding may be incorporated within PM
	Scope	Affects all staff & Pupils	Financial implications	Aim to improve the school community overall	Lack of funding for courses/implementation of improved practices highlighted
Capital Funding	Staff, Students & organisation	Intend to improve school community	In the hands of outside agencies	Aim to obtain funding to improve facilities	No guarantee of funding
		New Skills to be learnt	New skill required	To qualify in new areas	Period prior to upskilling
	Collaboration	Additional space would allow for increased collaboration		potential for additional provision partnerships to evolve.  Certain types of partnership could result in income streams	Ensure that additional space is not simply used by other agencies with no benefit in provision for WH.  Income streams resulting in business activity come with the threat of financial insecurity
	Statutory/Policy/ Governance	Improvements to be made	Unlikely to be successful with more than 1 or 2 bids from the EFA	Increase knowledge of the funding process and make useful contacts with key personnel	National policy changes/dictate criteria
	Funding & Buildings	Better facilities	Disruption to live school site, finite budget	Funding provided to maintain/improve structures on site	Overspend/H&S issues
	Scope	Whole school - high impact if successful	Initially low impact - only those involved in the bidding process affected	Improvements may be possible affecting all staff/students/community	Deterioration to existing building stock if unsuccessful

Prior to this I had developed my initial diagram to the more detailed version below:

Context

We are a two form entry primary school (academy) with approx 380-390 students and 55-60 staff.  We have been joined for the last 2 years with our local secondary school the only other school within our Multi-Academy Trust (MAT).  Due to unforeseen circumstances this formal alliance will soon be dissolved.  We are currently undergoing the legal process to leave the MAT and form a new separate trust.  For the purpose of this research the changes to the trust are immaterial as the two schools operated independently in relation to Performance Management procedures.

My primary school also has a formal alliance agreement whereby 9 schools in the locality have agreed to collaborate and support one another with the common aim of raising standards across all the schools and in times of need collectively supporting any failing/struggling school within the alliance.  

This context is important as I intend to invite these schools to be included in my research project as part of this collaborative approach – the intention being to provide some useful feedback to all the schools within the group (should they wish to be included).  In addition, I hope to be able to use the data from other schools to provide comparables with our own school’s data.  This could have a wide impact across all the schools within my local area and depending on the impact could be circulated wider.

Within my own school (and I anticipate similarly the other schools within the study) we have two different sets of policy for teaching staff and support staff.  At my school we are physically managing these on one appraisal software tool.  This has been phased in during the past couple of years and all staff are now using this to some degree.  All staff are at least recording their CPD, they have all had objectives set and are recording evidence/notes/journals etc against these.  Appraisal and interim reviews are being recorded on this system for all staff.

There is much within the system that we have not yet implemented – it is a slow process but the reporting function is already making life easier at a managerial level for example providing information regarding CPD to report back to the Governors.  The reporting is only as good as the data entered and this will become more valuable as time goes by.

I would like to drive the strategy taken forward by the school with some form of measured plan with our methodology born out of reasoned data and formatted analysis rather than a haphazard approach.  At WH we have seen improvements within our practice and this has been most effective but I am keen to assess how this compares with other schools.  I am also keen to delve into the emotive side to find out why it may have been effective and whether this is appropriate (morally and ethically) moving forward.

Part 1 Critique:

I have decided to critique the following research paper – an MBA dissertation by a student at the University of Pretoria:

http://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/43994/Pather_Exploring_2014.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

I looked at several publications which could have been suitable for the purpose of this critique and chose this one for the following reasons (it may be that the others will provide some useful comparables):

• As an MBA dissertation it should offer a comparable standard of analysis to the final proposal

• The topic area is closely matched to my area of study so it will be of both interest and useful on a practical level

• The context of this research is different to my situation allowing ensuring that there is no risk of plagiarism.  In addition, it may offer opportunities to learn from the methods used and results achieved in an alternative setting.

• The final focus of my own research project is undecided at this point in time however, I am particularly interested in the following:

• What motivates staff

• Is performance related pay a motivating factor - if not what is?

• How do we fairly measure performance in an organisation rating one person against another when objectives are individual and the reviewer is subjective

• Staff are individuals – some will ‘need’ to be highly assessed, others will be more concerned with the unfairness of a colleague receiving a similar pay award for seemingly less effort – discuss!

• I firmly believe that there can be added value benefits (for individuals and the establishment) associated with the performance management process if implemented well – I would like to evaluate this further
• 
  

Some of the above are personal interest areas; others are of key importance to my establishment having an effect on strategy implementation, student learning outcomes, budgetary implications and staff relations and morale.

I am hopeful that my project will draw out some valuable answers to some of these areas and by critiquing the above paper, I trust some thought provoking ideas will emerge.  I will be particularly looking out for effective data collection ideas and how to make the best use of the data.  Staff surveys could be very useful but will need to be constructed very carefully so as not to influence the results.  I will be looking for guidance on how to identify what you are trying to find out and how best to structure data collection methods without unintentionally influencing the outcome.  Interpreting data effectively is also a key area that I have limited experience of to date.

I think a Headteacher’s overall survey could also provide useful data from which results will be able to compare schools’ outcomes & effectiveness – this needs to be devised carefully in order that the information that is requested is easy to collate – if it is not, they simply won’t return the survey.

It may be necessary to devise the questioning such that if a person/Headteacher wants to remain anonymous that the format does not allude to a particular person/establishment.

Much has been written on this area of strategic management and I intend to use the theory that I have learned to my best advantage.  Analysing another piece of work in this way will ensure that I understand some of these theories and can apply those most relevant to my work situation.  There will be regional influencing factors that may need to be borne in mind if the project is circulated wider afield due to regional population/ethnicity/socio economic/diversity considerations etc.

Why:

How many staff – problems identified – why important to find out about PM and where are we now?  TBC

Scope of the Project:

What are we trying to achieve?

It feels as though we are already part way through the implementing this project without having carried out the appropriate due diligence.  The research carried out in this project will hopefully confirm that our recently introduced Performance Management system is the correct one for our school and will also ensure that the systems software is supported sufficiently by the correct strategy and training in order to achieve the best results.

Further to this, it will question whether or not the current system of performance related pay is moral, ethical and financially sustainable and whether it is appropriate for our establishment as well as other schools in the locality.

Very importantly, key to our investigation is assessing the impact of PM on the outcomes for our students – it will be interesting to note whether this may be measurable in other terms than simply dashboard data.  It feels at the school as though the well-being of students should be starting to rate more highly – much of the training undertaken recently (borne out of the objectives set for performance management targets) has centred around SEN and behavioural strategies; I hope to be able to find a way to quantify the effects of the resultant improvements in practice.  Although it is likely that dashboard data will be affected by this change in practice I am hopeful that we will demonstrate wider benefits also.  This will undoubtedly be of interests to Headteachers within the group.

How? – Methodology

1. Create a project plan (structured procedural mind map) – this can be adapted/developed throughout the duration of the project with added/changed items in a different colour scheme to highlight how the project has evolved
2. At WH we have previously carried out staff surveys – I intend to revisit the results collated and extrapolate the information gathered that relates to PM, staff morale, pay, motivation etc.  This will be the base point.
3. Data dashboard information will be scrutinized and compared with ‘before PM’ and ‘now’ – theory approaches to be considered
4. Survey all Group schools.  To be carried out in line with all ethics and data protection criteria.  This survey will target specific areas of interest and will incorporate methods identified in my theory research:
1. Compose a letter to all Headteachers/Principals introducing the study and requesting their permission to engage with staff – date of collection of the surveys to be specified
2. Compile and distribute survey to all Headteachers/Principals regarding the overall school’s position – it will potentially be possible to offer anonymity
3. Compile and distribute survey to all staff covering all areas of the study - it will potentially be possible to offer anonymity

5. Results/Conclusions

Analysis and interpretation of results taking into account reliability/validity etc.  This will include comparison with base point data for our school.  It will also be reviewed in line with relevant current published articles of which there are many.

6. Considerations – conclude on the findings of the study and make informed suggestions for our school
7. Feedback – report back to group schools – this is to be in the format of a delivery of fact rather than making recommendations, however, it is most likely that this will involve discussion with Headteachers where if required individual circumstances can be reviewed.