Composición y derivación 1 Editorial Santillana

Please complete the following and fax or e-mail it to the contacts listed.

The teachers at (name of school)

Will / will not (please circle)

be participating in the leadership and professional development questionnaire. Does your school wish to receive a copy of the summary of project findings?

Yes/no

Who will be the contact person at the school?

If you would like you to contact me to discuss our concerns concerning this research, please list those concerns below and I shall contact you within two working days:

Please fax or e-mail this form to: Stephen Kendall-Jones,

Massey University,

Fax number: (09) 473-3296 Email: [email protected]

Appendix F: Letter Inviting Principal to Follow-Up Interview

5th October 2010 Dear Principal,

Recently you, as Principal, and staff at your school completed questionnaires relating to my research project about the way that a school leader’s mathematical identity may influence the provision of professional development in mathematics. You may remember that this research is part of my study at Massey University towards a Masters of Education.

To further my research I need to obtain more purposeful and detailed information and I would like to invite you to be interviewed at a time convenient to you. I am more than willing to come to your school. The interview is expected to take around 20 - 30 minutes only.

Yours will be one interview amongst others with principals from other schools. The interviews will form the basis of case studies from the principal’s perspective and will be digitally recorded (with your permission) for subsequent transcription and analysis. The contents of the tapes will be confidential to my supervisor and me. You may decline to answer a question or may ask for the recorder to be switched off at any time. The recordings will be held securely and destroyed or deleted after the required time. Any written reports will not identify you, or your school, by name.

I attach an information sheet with the proposed questions for the interview. You may wish to discuss other issues related to mathematical identity, education and professional development.

Unless you are available earlier, I shall follow up this request in two weeks to establish if you are able to take part in these interviews. If you have any queries about the questionnaire or wish to obtain further information about the project, I can be contacted on 021-773-105 (mobile), at home in the evenings on (09) 473-3295, or by e-mail at

[email protected].

Thank you once again for your time. Yours Sincerely,

Stephen Kendall-Jones

Areas for Further Development through Interview

Below are the starter questions for the discussions. You may wish to add other areas at the time. In accordance with the Massey University Ethics Committee requirements, you have the right to:

• Decline to participate

• Refuse to answer any particular question • Withdraw from the study at any time

• Ask questions about the study at any time during your participation

Focus Questions for Discussion

1. How do you identify overall professional development needs for your school? 2. On what basis do you allocate resources (of people, time and finance) towards

professional development?

3. What priority do you give towards providing professional development in mathematics compared to other areas of the curriculum?

4. What would be the ideal professional development programme for your school to improve effective practice in mathematical education?

5. Do you think mathematics professional development should be part of a principal’s appraisal? Why/ why not?

6. How do you perceive yourself to be as a mathematician?

7. How important do you believe it is that you are the ‘lead learner’ for mathematics in your school?

Appendix G: Focus Group Interview Consent Form

"The Impact of the Mathematical Identity of School Leaders on

Professional Development in Mathematics Education!

Focus Group Consent Form

This consent form shall be kept for a period of five (5) years

I have read the information sheet and have had details of the study explained to me. My questions have been answered to my satisfaction and I understand that I have the right to:

o Decline to participate

o Refuse to answer any particular question o Withdraw from the study at any time

o Ask questions about the study at any time during your participation

I agree to participate in this study under the conditions set out in the information sheet. I agree to provide information to the researcher on the understanding that my name will not be used without my permission.

I agree to the interview being recorded with the understanding that, at any time during the focus group interview, I can ask for all or some of my comments to be removed from the transcript.

I agree to keep the content and identities of other participants in the focus group confidential.

FULL NAME: SCHOOL: SIGNED: DATE:

Appendix H: Focus Group Information Sheet