[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-593563-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-593563-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","opportunities-taken-lost-or-avoided-the-use-of-difference-of-opinion-in-school-decision-making","Opportunities Taken, Lost or Avoided: The Use of Difference of Opinion in School Decision Making","","Exploratory investigation into how disequilibrium and difference of opinion are used in school decision-making, drawing on the experiences of Master of Education students at the authors’ university. Using participant-provided examples, the study identifies factors that enable the positive use of difference of opinion and factors that limit or constrain it. Findings are used to discuss implications for the curriculum of the participants’ degree program.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/opportunities-taken-lost-or-avoided-the-use-of-difference-of-opinion-in-school-decision-making/593563/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/opportunities-taken-lost-or-avoided-the-use-of-difference-of-opinion-in-school-decision-making/593563.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Jasmine","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-09","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is the focus of the exploratory investigation in the paper?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The paper investigates how disequilibrium and differences of opinion are used in school decision-making, based on experiences of Master of Education students.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"Which factors does the study identify?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"It identifies factors that support the positive use of differences of opinion and factors that limit or constrain their use in educational decision-making.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How do the findings affect curriculum planning?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The paper discusses implications for the curriculum of the degree program in which the participants are enrolled, particularly regarding communication and interpersonal skill development.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},593563,1793006096,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":112,"preview_page_count":4},2336478487870,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45","Australian Journal of Teacher Education  \n\n| Volume 39 | Issue 4 | Article 7 |\n| --- | --- |\n| 2014\u003Cbr>Opportunities Taken, Lost or Avoided: The Use of Difference of Opinion in School Decision Making\u003Cbr>Bridget M. Leggett Edith Cowan University\u003Cbr>Glenda Campbell-Evans\u003Cbr>Edith Cowan University, [g.campbell_evans@ecu.edu.au](g.campbell_evans@ecu.edu.au)\u003Cbr>Jan Gray\u003Cbr>Edith Cowan University |  |\n\nRecommended Citation  \nLeggett, B. M., Campbell-Evans, G., & Gray, J. (2014). Opportunities Taken, Lost or Avoided: The Use of Difference of Opinion in School Decision Making. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39 (4).  \n[http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2014v39n4.7](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2014v39n4.7)  \nThis Journal Article is posted at Research Online.  \n[http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol39/iss4/7](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol39/iss4/7)  \nAustralian Journal of Teacher Education  \nOpportunities Taken, Lost or Avoided: the Use of Difference of Opinion in  \nSchool Decision-making  \nBridget Leggett  \nGlenda Campbell-Evans  \nJan Gray  \nEdith Cowan University  \nAbstract: In this paper the authors report on an exploratory  \ninvestigation into the use of disequilibrium and difference of opinion in decision-making in schools, based on the experiences of Master of Education students in their own university. From examples provided by the participants the authors identify the factors that contribute to  \nthe positive use of difference of opinion, and those that limit or  \nconstrain its use. They then discuss the implications of the findings  \nfor the curriculum of the degree in which the participants are  \nenrolled.  \nIntroduction  \nTeacher education formally starts when pre-service teachers commence their education degrees. But it does not conclude at graduation. Rather, teachers continue to learn informally and formally throughout their careers: from their students, their peers and superordinates, from workshops, seminars, conferences, and from postgraduate courses. It is this latter context that provides the data reported in this paper.  \nTeachers in schools need to be able to cope with all manner of different types of change: from curricular change to changes in the structure of schools and the student population. For example, in Western Australia (WA), the introduction of the national curriculum is in full swing, requiring anything from minor adjustment to major rethinking of teaching, learning and assessment programs. At the same time, Government schools are being given the opportunity to take on Independent Public School status, offering more local flexibility and increased school governance responsibility (Department of Education WA, 2010). In addition, from 2015 year 7 will no longer be the last year of primary schooling in WA; it will be the first year of secondary schooling, so primary schools lose students and staff and secondary schools have to modify their pastoral care programs, their curriculum and potentially their structures to cater for the younger students.  \nHeifetz and his collaborators provide a useful model for capitalising on changing contexts to achieve an adaptive change, a response that enables the organisation to thrive in the new context and to change in meaningful and lasting ways (Heifetz, 1994; Heifetz, Grashow & Linsky, 2009) . A key element of this model is the idea of productive disequilibrium. For Heifetz, some disequilibrium is essential if an organization is to move beyond the status quo, to respond to the adaptive challenge, to thrive (Heifetz, Kania & Kramer, 2004). Part of the role of the leader is to regulate the level of disequilibrium, so that the people and the organisation are able to adapt and move forward, not retreat into past practices or become dysfunctional (Heifetz, 1998) .  \nIn this paper we report on an exploratory investigation into the use of disequilibrium and difference of opinion in decision-making in schools. The research emerged from a  \nVol 39, 4, April 2014 115  \nAustra","cbCairyow4O4tN6I","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairyow4O4tN6I","pdf",160596,12,"English","# Introduction\n## Background: teacher education and changing school contexts\n## The study: research questions and approach\n## Findings and discussion: productive disequilibrium and constraints\n## Curriculum implications","[{\"question\":\"What is the focus of the exploratory investigation in the paper?\",\"answer\":\"The paper investigates how disequilibrium and differences of opinion are used in school decision-making, based on experiences of Master of Education students.\"},{\"question\":\"Which factors does the study identify?\",\"answer\":\"It identifies factors that support the positive use of differences of opinion and factors that limit or constrain their use in educational decision-making.\"},{\"question\":\"How do the findings affect curriculum planning?\",\"answer\":\"The paper discusses implications for the curriculum of the degree program in which the participants are enrolled, particularly regarding communication and interpersonal skill development.\"}]","Opportunities Taken, Lost or Avoided: The Use of Difference of Opinion in School Decision Making | PDF",1792077485]