Developing Global Citizens: Perceptions Regarding Educational Leadership in an International Expatriate School

Developing Global Citizens: Perceptions Regarding Educational Leadership in an International Expatriate School by Alicia Hunter Lewis MEd, University of Cincinnati, 2008 MM, University of Michigan, 1990 BM, University of Michigan, 1988 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Education Walden University December 2015 Abstract International expatriate schools require educational leaders to guide culturally diverse stakeholders as they prepare students to address world problems. In the United States, effective educational leadership has been demonstrated as necessary to implement research-based practices. However, researchers have not yet established the leadership needed from expatriate kindergarten through Grade 12 school leaders seeking to develop global citizens. This gap leads to the question of how international expatriate educational leaders demonstrate empathetic, emotionally self-managed, or interculturally sensitive skills when meeting a school’s global-minded strategic plan. The purpose of this case study was to describe expatriate school leaders’ perceptions of how they and their peers demonstrate these skills. The conceptual framework included distributed leadership, emotional intelligence, and intercultural sensitivity in the context of global citizenship. Data from an expatriate middle school in China included interviews with school leaders, documents, and researcher notes. The results indicated that expatriate leaders demonstrated empathy through social responsibility, emotional self-management through personal and professional competence, and intercultural sensitivity through active civic engagement. International expatriate schools may benefit if educational leadersInternational expatriate schools require educational leaders to guide culturally diverse stakeholders as they prepare students to address world problems. In the United States, effective educational leadership has been demonstrated as necessary to implement research-based practices. However, researchers have not yet established the leadership needed from expatriate kindergarten through Grade 12 school leaders seeking to develop global citizens. This gap leads to the question of how international expatriate educational leaders demonstrate empathetic, emotionally self-managed, or interculturally sensitive skills when meeting a school’s global-minded strategic plan. The purpose of this case study was to describe expatriate school leaders’ perceptions of how they and their peers demonstrate these skills. The conceptual framework included distributed leadership, emotional intelligence, and intercultural sensitivity in the context of global citizenship. Data from an expatriate middle school in China included interviews with school leaders, documents, and researcher notes. The results indicated that expatriate leaders demonstrated empathy through social responsibility, emotional self-management through personal and professional competence, and intercultural sensitivity through active civic engagement. International expatriate schools may benefit if educational leaders demonstrate support and concern and provide examples of the global-mindedness expected of students. These results can guide faculty members’ professional competencies toward implementing instructional programs that target the development of global citizens. Social change could result from international expatriate schools applying described models of distributed leadership toward a unified and socially just purpose. Developing Global Citizens: Perceptions Regarding Educational Leadership in an International Expatriate School by Alicia Hunter Lewis MEd, University of Cincinnati, 2008 MM, University of Michigan, 1990 BM, University of Michigan, 1988 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Education Walden University December 2015 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my husband, Charles “Andy” Lewis, for unending patience and support when needed the most. I also dedicate this study to the amazing matriarchs in my life who achieved academic and professional success against greater odds than my generation can imagine. Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the dedication, insight, and patience given by my committee members, Dr. Cheryl Keen and Dr. Sigrin Newell. Without their encouragement, along with support along the way from Dr. Tom Guskey, Dr. Ana Donaldson, and Dr. Esther Laharagoue, this study would have remained an idea. Being surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, I had no alternative but to run, with endurance, this marathon that unfurled ahead of me.