Critical analysis - taking stock of my progress.

My research design (so far):

Research aim:
The purpose of the proposed research is to better understand leaders experiences of listening to others and how this influences their leadership practice.

Research question:

How can we better understand listening as a leadership skill from the perspectives of Cook Island leaders in New Zealand primary schools?

Conceptual framework:
I will be using the Turanga Framework to critically examine the position of the Cook Island leaders in the context of their space.

The three elements of the framework are: (1) Akono’anga Māori, Cook Islands culture; (2) No teia tuatau, of this time; and (3) Tā’anga’anga’ia, put to practice.

(1) Akono’anga Māori, Cook Islands culture; - (What?)
Turanga - position, place and status
Pirianga - to close, hold tight, to work, relationships
Akaueanga - the duties of care
Ngakau aro’a - willingness and conviction of the heart

(2) No teia tuatau, of this time - (So what?)
Significant and relevant

 (i) komakoma marie, let our conversation be unhurried, be in the now; and (ii) kia maru to korua komakoma’anga, let your conversations be calm and measured.

(3) Tā’anga’anga’ia, put to practice - (Now what?)
Transformation occurs when akono’anga Māori, being relevant to the time and environment, are put into practice. On their own they are simply cultural concepts, isolated in space and without purpose. Turanga Māori is one conceptual framework. Irrespective of the model or framework a practitioner chooses, the model or framework is but a tool to inform and guide practice. Turanga Māori’s purpose is to be relevant and effective for Cook Islands Maori client(s) and practitioners. That practice should be informed by the culture of the people we serve.

Suggestions for Narrative Inquiry on Seidman (1998) adapted using the Turanga Framework

Pirianga process (Introduce myself, make connections, introduce the research and the Turanga Framework to participants, leave an information sheet and 

First interview - life history (Introduce the Turanga Framework to participants discuss where they see themselves in relation to Turanga, Pirianga, Akaueanga and Ngakau Aro'a) set the scene for second and third interview 

Second interview - No teia tuatau, of this time - discuss concrete experiences of listening (using 15 images of Cook Islands artefacts as a metaphor provocation).

Third interview - No teia tuatau, of this time - discuss concrete experiences of listening (using 15 images of Cook Islands artefacts as a metaphor provocation).

Third interview - reflect on their understandings and researchers Tā’anga’anga’ia, put to practice. Share what they have noticed about their listening, final reflections and any change to practice.

Elliott, J. (2012). Gathering narrative data. In S. Delamont (Ed.), Handbook of Qualitative Research in Education (pp. 281–298). Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/aut/detail.action?docID=866984

Seidman, I. (1998), Interviewing as Qualitative Research, New York: Teachers College Press

Methods:

Three to four Cook Island leaders in NZ Primary schools will be invited to participate in this project. I will meet with each participant 3 times over a span of 2 months and collect their narratives using the Turanga framework as our 

Overarching question: How do Cook Island leaders in New Zealand Primary schools understand listening as a leadership skill?

Patai korero:

Elliot (2012) offers a word of advice in this respect "Chase, therefore, concludes that we are most

likely to succeed in eliciting narratives from our research subjects when we ask simple questions that clearly relate to their life experiences" and they argue that "the best questions for narrative interviews invite the interviewee to talk about specific times and situations, rather than asking about the respondent’s life over a long period of time"..."In addition to asking appropriate questions, the interviewer who wants to encourage the production of narratives during an interview must clearly also be a good listener" 

Initial questions:

"Can you think of someone in your life who is/was a great listener? Tell me about them".

"What are your thoughts on listening as a leadership skill?"

"From these 15 images here, Tell me which best aligns with your listening identity"

Emerging questions:

Can you think of a significant or relevant listening episode in the past two weeks, tell me about it?

Which of these images best describe the way you were listening? tell me more.

How long can the narratives go for? In addition to asking appropriate questions, the interviewer who wants to encourage the production of narratives during an interview must clearly also be a good listener (Elliot, 2012, p. 287) what is important is to make the timing clear to the interviewee from the start...I suggested to interviewees that the interview would probably last for approximately an hour and a half, but might go on as long as two hours (Elliot, 2012, p. 287)

Elliott, J. (2012). Gathering narrative data. In S. Delamont (Ed.), Handbook of Qualitative Research in Education (pp. 281–298). Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/aut/detail.action?docID=866984

Seidman, I. (1998), Interviewing as Qualitative Research, New York: Teachers College Press