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Abstract:
Purpose
The aspiring principals’ administrative internship (AI) set at the local education bureau is an emerging principal
preparation program implemented throughout Taiwan. The program enables aspiring principals to develop
administrative practices that can be transferred from the school campus to educational administration units. This study
aims to explore how the AI program was implemented in three different cities/counties and to investigate the program
features as well as the participation experience of the aspiring principals. Furthermore, this study analyzes and reviews
the impact of the AI program on the aspiring principals and the local education bureaus.
Design/methodology/approach
The research adopted a qualitative approach with a multiple case study design. A purposive sampling method was
utilized to select the AI programs of the three cities/counties as the cases to be studied. Data were mainly collected
through in-depth interviews and document analysis, and a total of twenty-nine participants were interviewed from
the three cities/counties.
Findings
This study came to four conclusions: 1. The case study revealed the following features of the AI program: the program
is an administration-based, field-practice-oriented internship; the program is long term and intensive; the role of the AI
has discursively shifted from providing administrative support to providing principal training socialization opportunity
to the aspiring principals to develop an understanding of the educational regulations and systems from a government
administrative perspective and obtain an educational administration experience that would otherwise not be
encountered in the regular campus environment. 3. On an individual level, the AI program has improved the aspiring
principals’ administrative capabilities, systematic thinking, and understanding of both the policies and the policy
implementation process as well as the operation mechanisms of local education bureaus. The program has also allowed
the establishment of a network with bureau members. 4. On an organizational level, the AI program serves as a
temporary solution to reduce staff turnover within the education bureau and provides much-needed manpower.
The program has also facilitated the formation of a two-way relationship between principals and the bureau, and in so
doing, the AI program has contributed to the bureau’s administrative operation and facilitated the effective execution of
policy.
Originality/value
The aspiring principal AI program set within local education bureaus has been implemented across numerous
cities/counties throughout Taiwan over the last ten years. However, prior to this study, there have been limited domestic
or foreign empirical studies that have explored this subject. The findings of this study contribute to the gap in literature
and provide a reference for municipal and county governments in the future planning of AI programs for aspiring
principals. The results also create an enhanced understanding of alternative internships in the academic study of
principal preparation programs at home and abroad.
Author:
Author Description:
Executive Officer, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Taipei, Taiwan.
Keywords:
APA:
Chen, H.-C. (2017). The cross-field socialization experience: Exploring aspiring principals’ administration internship practice in three local education bureaus. Contemporary Educational Research Quarterly, 25(3), 1-40.
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