Teachers’ perceptions of staff collaboration in South African inviting schools: a case study study

Abstract

This study reports on staff members’ perceptions of teacher collaboration at two South African schools that received the inviting school award from the International Alliance for Invitational Education. The inviting school survey assesses the invitational qualities based on the four assumptions of the Invitational Education theory. Although these assumptions are harmoniously related, this article primarily focuses on the second assumption: that education is a collaborative cooperative activity. A quantitative research design was deemed most appropriate for this study. The five dimensions of Hord’s model were used to determine staff’s perceptions of collaborations at these schools; (1) shared leadership; (2) a shared vision and values; (3) individual and shared learning; (4) shared practice; and (5) supportive conditions. The results revealed that the five dimensions of Hord’s model were evident at both these schools, which confirmed the existence of teacher collaboration at these schools. The significant contribution of this study lies in the verification and validation of invitational education in Hord’s model.