Understanding Collaboration Between a Local Education Administration and Principals from the Perspective of Contradictions

Despite the recognition of the local education administration (LEA) as a pivotal actor in the enhancement of quality, previous research incorporating both the LEA and school principals remains scarce. The current study aims to enhance the understanding of different types of discursive contradictio...

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Main Author: Sofie Lökholm
Format: Article
Language:Danish
Published: Malmö University Press 2025-06-01
Series:Educare
Subjects:
Online Access:https://publicera.kb.se/educare/article/view/54823
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author Sofie Lökholm
author_facet Sofie Lökholm
author_sort Sofie Lökholm
collection DOAJ
description Despite the recognition of the local education administration (LEA) as a pivotal actor in the enhancement of quality, previous research incorporating both the LEA and school principals remains scarce. The current study aims to enhance the understanding of different types of discursive contradictions in collaboration and explore the possible consequences of contradictions between the LEA and principals. Using a qualitative study design, this study draws on interviews with superintendents, LEA managers, qualitative strategists, and principals. The theoretical framework is based on discursive manifestations of contradictions. The results reveal that different types of contradictions are discernible in the collaboration between the LEA and principals. The empirical findings show disparate contradictions, including contradictory interpretations of the LEA's role and mission, the ambiguous division of responsibilities, and the asymmetrical distribution of knowledge and communication. A central conclusion is the importance of LEAs and principals working together to negotiate their interpretations of contradictions, which could enable opportunities for contradictions to become a positive driving force for improvements. The study enriches the knowledge of contradictions in collaboration, thereby offering valuable insights for propelling further research on school improvement.
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spelling doaj-art-6ffa689f7d8848879c3e1336f97ed0cb2025-08-20T03:24:51ZdanMalmö University PressEducare2004-51902025-06-01210.63310/edu.2025.2.54823Understanding Collaboration Between a Local Education Administration and Principals from the Perspective of ContradictionsSofie Lökholm0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4124-8327Gothenburg University Despite the recognition of the local education administration (LEA) as a pivotal actor in the enhancement of quality, previous research incorporating both the LEA and school principals remains scarce. The current study aims to enhance the understanding of different types of discursive contradictions in collaboration and explore the possible consequences of contradictions between the LEA and principals. Using a qualitative study design, this study draws on interviews with superintendents, LEA managers, qualitative strategists, and principals. The theoretical framework is based on discursive manifestations of contradictions. The results reveal that different types of contradictions are discernible in the collaboration between the LEA and principals. The empirical findings show disparate contradictions, including contradictory interpretations of the LEA's role and mission, the ambiguous division of responsibilities, and the asymmetrical distribution of knowledge and communication. A central conclusion is the importance of LEAs and principals working together to negotiate their interpretations of contradictions, which could enable opportunities for contradictions to become a positive driving force for improvements. The study enriches the knowledge of contradictions in collaboration, thereby offering valuable insights for propelling further research on school improvement. https://publicera.kb.se/educare/article/view/54823Cultural-Historical Activity Theorydiscursive manifestations of contradictionsLocal education administrationprincipals
spellingShingle Sofie Lökholm
Understanding Collaboration Between a Local Education Administration and Principals from the Perspective of Contradictions
Educare
Cultural-Historical Activity Theory
discursive manifestations of contradictions
Local education administration
principals
title Understanding Collaboration Between a Local Education Administration and Principals from the Perspective of Contradictions
title_full Understanding Collaboration Between a Local Education Administration and Principals from the Perspective of Contradictions
title_fullStr Understanding Collaboration Between a Local Education Administration and Principals from the Perspective of Contradictions
title_full_unstemmed Understanding Collaboration Between a Local Education Administration and Principals from the Perspective of Contradictions
title_short Understanding Collaboration Between a Local Education Administration and Principals from the Perspective of Contradictions
title_sort understanding collaboration between a local education administration and principals from the perspective of contradictions
topic Cultural-Historical Activity Theory
discursive manifestations of contradictions
Local education administration
principals
url https://publicera.kb.se/educare/article/view/54823
work_keys_str_mv AT sofielokholm understandingcollaborationbetweenalocaleducationadministrationandprincipalsfromtheperspectiveofcontradictions