The Influences on Educational Management Learning

This paper draws on findings from a research study in which educational managers at different career stages were interviewed about their conceptions and experiences of educational-management learning. The study highlighted the diverse and individual influences on the process of learning to become an educational manager and indicated that teachers acquire managerial expertise by a variety of means. The seven most common opportunities through which educational-management learning was gained have been identified, and they are analysed from the point of view of the learner in terms of: (i) their relative importance to the learning process, (ii) how (and if) they affect practice or thinking, (iii) when (at what points in the learning curve) they are effective. This study suggested that the value and effectiveness of the different developmental processes may reflect some of the personal characteristics peculiar to the individual educational manager. These significant characteristics are also discussed.