Educational Leadership graduate students participated in The School Principalship (EDLD 5339) course providing multiple student opportunities to participate in leadership activities on their campus as well as simulated leadership activities. Candidates were asked to simulate being in the role of a new principal charged with the responsibility of collaboratively addressing challenges in a Career Technology Education program and reporting progress to a hypothetical superintendent. Candidates were asked to reflect on the impact the course simulated leadership activity had on the development of their marketable skills.
This assignment reflects Texas and the university’s support and focus on the development of candidates’ marketable skills. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) project examines how well higher education systems help learners develop skills that are valued by employers. A goal of this project is to identify how policymakers can improve the state’s higher education system to anticipate, develop and communicate market relevant skills.
The participants for this study included 415 online Principal Certification students, 321 females and 94 males. Of the 415 participants, 15 or .036% were American Indian/Alaskan, 10 or .024% were Asian Pacific Islander, 137 or 33% were Black, Not Hispanic, 252 or 60.7% were Caucasian, 1 or .002% indicated Other.
Methodology
The data were analyzed using a qualitative methodology design; identifying themes from student reflections regarding the impact the activities had on their developing marketable skills. Further, descriptive statistics were used to analyze the participants’ demographic data.
Students responded to the Professional Growth Reflection assignment which included the following questions:
• How did your responses to the strategic problem-solving assessment activities:
• Impact your ability to analyze issues, make decisions, and overcome problems?
• Impact your ability to demonstrate originality and inventiveness?
• Impact your ability to articulate thoughts and ideas clearly?
• Impact your ability to build collaborative relationships?
• Impact your ability to leverage the strengths of others to achieve goals?
• Impact your personal growth as an aspiring administrator?
Research Questions
1. How does applying simulated problem-solving impact students’ ability to analyze issues, make decisions or overcome problems?
2. How does implementing simulated problem-solving impact students’ ability to demonstrate originality and inventiveness?
3. How does simulated problem-solving effect students’ ability to build collaborative relationships leveraging the strengths of others to achieve goals?
4. How does simulated problem-solving effect students’ growth as an aspiring administrator?
Conclusions
The use of simulations where prospective school principals are placed in virtual leadership roles that assume the responsibility of addressing real-world campus issues are perceived by participants to have a positive impact on a number of their marketable skills such as building collaborative relationships, creative originality and inventiveness and leveraging the strengths of others.
While the use of complex simulations in the preparation of school administrators is a relatively new practice, the reflective aspects of simulations that place students in virtual administrative roles allowed them to recognize and more clearly articulate their individual strengths and weaknesses as aspiring leaders. Students’ participation in virtual professional collaborative activities at the application level increased their confidence as prospective school principals.
Presented by Dr. Thomas Harvey and Dr. Donna Azodi at the National Social Science Association Fall Professional Development Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 14, 2019.