A Social Ecological Approach to Leading Student Resilience: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study in Alberta Charter Schools

摘要

The phenomenon of how school leaders understand and foster the development of resilience in students is important yet there is limited research in this area. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore this phenomenon in Alberta Charter Schools (ACS) using a qualitative, multiple case study approach (Stake, 2006; Merriam, 1998). A purposeful sample composed of 20 ACS leaders from five different schools participated in the study during the 2016-17 school year. The data collection methods included semistructured principal interviews, focus groups of school leaders, document reviews, and field notes/observations. The cross-case analysis was guided by the quintain, how school leadership bolsters resilience in students, and the study's conceptual and theoretical frameworks. The cross-case analysis revealed five key cross-case themes. ACS leaders: (a) understood student resilience was shaped by internal and external protective factors, (b) understood resilience in terms of understanding the concept of risk, (c) fostered the development of resilience through distributed leadership, (d) fostered the development of resilience through an emphasis upon teacher learning and development, and (e) fostered the development of resilience through strategic resourcing. The transferability of this study's findings is discussed and implications for policy, leadership practice, and educational leadership research are presented.