Complexity, emotionality, balance, and threat: collegiality at Horoeka School

Abstract

The act of balancing the twin elements of "social cohesion" and a "focus on teaching and learning" has been found to be crucial to effective collegiality. A case study inquiry, within a grounded theory approach, used a series of two interviews to explore the beliefs about collegiality held by the teachers and principal in a New Zealand primary school. Thirty one distinct aspects of collegial belief and behaviour were apparent within the data. This number of findings attests to the complexities inherent in teacher collegiality. These complexities are further compounded by the emotional nature of collegial interaction and the negative influence of elements within New Managerialist education policy.