Good to great schools : the relevance of a business model to a school context

Lamper, David John

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to apply an existing model to a new situation: In this instance to explore the possible relevance of the research of Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great (2001) to a sample often UK schools.

The review of literature considers the Collins' research, responses to that research and the extent to which it has already been applied to different contexts. In parallel to this, material on school effectiveness is considered with a focus on those aspects which are associated with excellence in schools. Conceptual links are identified.

A multiple-case study approach is taken in the research and the methodology includes the analysis of Ofsted reports for schools included on HMCI's List of Outstanding Schools. A purposive sample of ten schools is identified for further consideration where the views of school leaders are explored through semi-structured interviews. Responses are coded in relation to the key concepts from the Collins' research alongside additional categories which emerged from the interviews.

It is acknowledged that the very nature of this small-scale study has an impact on the transferability of findings and therefore its reliability. There is an attempt to replicate elements of the interviews from the Collins study although it is accepted that a reproduction of a similar scale would not be feasible. The richness of data that emerges from the cases begins to create a context for judgements about the possibility of transfer of findings to other situations but that is not in the aim or the scope of this research - it is to find out the extent of relevance of the Collins findings to the context often schools.

The study concludes that there is evidence that the 'Good to Great' research findings have some relevance to the cases studied. Whilst it is deemed inappropriate to extrapolate the findings of these case studies to a larger context, these findings do suggest that further investigation may be worthwhile and enlightening.

Citation

Lamper, D. J. Good to great schools : the relevance of a business model to a school context. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4219397

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jul 3, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 23, 2023
• Keywords: Education
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4219397
• Additional Information: Centre for Educational Studies, The University of Hull
• Award Date: Jun 1, 2007