Gilbert, Brychan Llewelyn;
(2022)
Trust, Dialogue and Teacher Commitment: A Case Study of Two International Schools.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
International schools experience a high turnover of faculty and the need to establish strong trust-based relationships in diverse and changing environments is a recurring feature of life in these schools. Effective communication by school leaders has been shown to have a positive effect on trust formation. The purpose of this research was to find out how faculty at two international schools in China viewed the development of trust-based relationships related to opportunities for dialogue in their contexts and how this, in turn, impacted upon their sense of commitment to their organizations. Using a multiple case study approach, group interviews were held with teachers at different stages of their association with their schools. In addition to these group interviews, there were individual interviews with managers and observations of faculty meetings. Critical incidents were used to stimulate focussed semi-structured discussion. Key inhibitors on trust development were identified as: • Detachment from the decision-making process, • Feelings of insecurity, • Breaches of the psychological contract at the early stages of association with the school, • Social gossip, and • Instances of conflict or lack of self-control in formal faculty meetings. Opportunities for dialogue with leaders promoted trust development, along with investment by senior managers into the initial stage of the teacher’s association with the school. The authentic leader or manager was seen as being more trustworthy. This study suggests that nurturing greater opportunities for dialogue supports the development of trust and can enable faculty to enjoy more productive and meaningful associations with their schools. Commitment, in the sense of the length of time of association with the school, is a more complex phenomenon than first anticipated and further studies would help clarify the role that trust and dialogue play in the exact determining factors behind a teacher or manager’s decision to end their association with their school.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Trust, Dialogue and Teacher Commitment: A Case Study of Two International Schools |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2022. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| Keywords: | dialogue, trust, commitment, authenticity, insecurity, decision-making, management. |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Learning and Leadership UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10150597 |
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