The Internationalisation of Secondary Schools in Malta

Seguna A (2019)

Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Authored book, Monography

Publication year: 2019

Publisher: Midsea Books Ltd. 2019

City/Town: Malta

ISBN: 978-99932-7-749-1

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation addresses internationalisation - as a process that integrates a global perspective into the schools’ development - in secondary schools in Malta. Malta is a postcolonial small state and these characteristics provide the context for internationalisation to be investigated. It is relevant both for research and practice purposes, it explores the theories of internationalisation in higher and school education as well as provides empirical data on internationalisation in school education in Malta.

The theoretical framework of this research is embedded within the theories of internationalisation and the theories of school development. The author takes on the perspective of Comparative and International Education (CIE) and school (development) research (Chapter 2) as her main methodological positions. After exploring these theories, she carries out a systematic literature review on Malta. She identifies a research gap, namely that education in postcolonial and small states has not been investigated through the perspective of internationalisation. This research gap therefore warrants investigation and four research questions are elicited:

1. In which ways do Maltese secondary schools perceive internationalisation?

2. How is internationalisation embedded in the development of Maltese individual schools?

3. How do characteristics of the Maltese system of education shape the internationalisation of schools in Malta?

4. How does the analysis of this Maltese case contribute to the development of the theory of internationalisation of schools?

This dissertation consists of six chapters. Chapter 1 focuses upon the concept of internationalisation and other related concepts – globalisation, Europeanisation and transnationalisation. It demonstrates the relationship of these interrelated terms and how they relate to the notion of the national. This chapter also explores how these concepts affect different contexts and bring about reactions to and within them. As the historical trajectory of internationalisation in education bears witness, over time the establishment of nations encompassed the notion of an international dimension.

With the interconnected world of the 21^st century placing great pressures on every individual to be more aware of one’s surroundings and how to adapt to change, organisations such as educational institutions have been required to ensure that their learners cope with such a reality. The literature demonstrates that internationalisation processes emerged primarily within higher educational institutions to counteract globalisation and its effects on society. Internationalisation in education is evident in various forms and differs according to country. However, similarities have been noted such as the drawing up of internationalisation policies, their funding and institutional convergences.

More recently compulsory school education has also been reacting to internationalisation and empirical studies across countries demonstrate how internationalisation is being embedded. By examining systematically chosen empirical studies on internationalisation, the author elicits the state-of-the-art findings on internationalisation within school education. She concludes that schools are expected to be both nation-building institutions and the promotors of an international dimension.

The literature review also demonstrates that internationalisation within school education seems to have affected the curriculum in various ways. Some examples are the inclusion of the European and International Orientation and the European Dimension through the teaching of English and the international languages. Schools also participate in international activities and programmes and network with other schools thereby creating links and the exchanges of staff and students. Various countries have also adopted several concepts such as the Europass, Certilingua, ELOS as well as take part in common initiatives such as AbiBac.

Four critical issues also emerge in the educational system - the importance of the role of stakeholders for internationalisation to be embedded, internationalisation occurring at different levels, the positive or negative privileging of students depending on the international stance that an institution takes, and schools claiming legitimacy and distinction if they embed the international.

Teachers are required to teach within this changing ambience and adapt and change to adjust to globalisation pressures. Schools are therefore expected to equip their teachers with the skills and competences to help their learners become globally aware and digitally competent. Chapter 2, therefore, investigates the theories of school development. By examining the state-of-the-art studies on school development, the author identifies aspects such as school leadership, curriculum development and staff development as the most frequently researched topics. She also identifies a model of school development which captures all three main components – organisation, staff and curriculum – and explores each component.

The schools’ organisational development is affected by the school leaders and their leadership style. The autonomy bestowed to school leaders and how they utilise this freedom to implement initiatives such as internationalisation is the first aspect that is studied. The school’s vision and the decisions that are taken which embody internationalisation such as the enrolment of international learners and the planning and financing of internationalisation activities demonstrate the schools’ commitment to internationalisation. The schools’ staff development focuses upon aspects such as the employment of international teachers and the inclusion of internationalisation aspects in the staff’s training programme. The final component – curriculum development – demonstrates how the schools’ curricular programme is adjusted to include international aspects such as the teaching of the languages and global and environmental education. Schools also enhance internationalisation when they engage in international educational programmes.

By looking at the research on internationalisation and the aspects of school development which have been focused upon by these state-of-the-art researchers, the author ascertains that internationalisation can be studied through the lens of school development. She therefore develops a model of internationalisation in schools and utilises this model to investigate internationalisation in the empirical part of her research.

When studying internationalisation policies and practices, the importance given to context is crucial. Since the topic of this research has not been studied within island-states and postcolonial countries, this research takes Malta as the context to be studied. As typical for a postcolonial country, the educational system is British at its core. The school system is divided into three sectors – state, Church and private. School education in Malta caters for children between the ages of pre-primary to 16. This study focuses upon secondary education and explores how the schools for learners between the ages of 10 and 16 embed internationalisation aspects.

Chapter 3 commences with a systematic literature review and studies Malta’s historical, social-economical and educational development. It demonstrates that Malta has moved from a very national orientation in education to a country that is beginning to embrace the international. Although Malta has no evident internationalisation policy, the literature review outlines how several policy documents, reforms and actions have been put into effect and steer schools towards a more global perspective. Schools are encouraged to introduce aspects such as global education, the topic of the European Union, Ethics as a learning area and the 21^st century skills. Schools are also urged to tap into EU resources, to engage in international competitions and programmes and to network with overseas schools. The author also identifies five dichotomous situations which affect the discourse about internationalisation in Malta.

Through Chapter 4 the author explains the selection of a mixed-methodology approach for her study. She focuses upon a three-stage sequential data collection and analysis model. By utilising the internationalisation model developed in Chapter 2 and the state-of-the-art in other relevant empirical studies, the author draws up the questions for her survey and interviews.

Chapter 5 presents the findings from the survey and from case studies in individual schools and then through a cross-case analysis. To collect evidence from the ground and from what is taking place within schools, a survey was emailed to all the secondary school leaders in Malta, namely 61 schools. The survey served to collect data about all secondary schools in Malta as well as helped the author select the three schools as her cases. Through the 53 survey responses, the author confirms that most of the internationalisation aspects which had emerged from international studies and countries were also evident in Malta and emerged mainly through the private sector. To categorise the replies, the author grouped the survey responses into the three school development dimensions – organisational, curriculum and staff.

Through the organisational development, it is evident that the schools’ mission statements and the school development plans do not have a very high international dimension in them. Some schools educate international learners as well as plan and finance internationally-oriented activities for their learners. International activities are mainly encouraged by the school leader or initiated by the teachers. It is private schools which mainly involve international parents.

Within the schools’ staff development, only a few Maltese schools recruit international teachers while many more employ a coordinator for internationalisation purposes. Within the private sector, school leaders include internationalisation aspects in the professional development that is offered to their staff, and their schools often finance the teachers’ overseas training.

Within the schools’ curriculum development, importance is given to both English and Maltese as Foreign Languages in all sectors while Maltese schools also claim to offer support through the teaching of the mother tongues. Most sectors give importance to national and European citizenship while the teaching of Ethics is mainly emphasised in the private sector. Maltese schools also take part in cross-border programmes and competitions and the students work towards international certification. Schools in Malta also network with overseas schools as well as with community and ethnic groups, with private schools and Church schools respectively taking the lead in these two aspects.

For the case studies, three schools, one school from every sector, were selected through the results from the survey since they showed the greatest evidence of internationalisation. Through the case study approach, an in-depth investigation elicited how internationalisation is embedded within the schools. Semi-structured interviews were held with school leaders, coordinators and teachers. Document and website analysis were also carried out. For the analysis of the data the author utilized content analysis procedures (P. Mayring).

By comparing her findings against the background of Maltese and international discourse (Chapters 1, 2 and 3), the author demonstrates how Maltese secondary schools perceive internationalisation, how internationalisation is embedded in the development of Maltese individual schools and which characteristics of the Maltese system of education shape the internationalisation of schools in Malta.

The findings disclose that there is a link between internationalisation and the three school development components. The author categorises the findings under each of the three components. The findings demonstrate that in addition to the results from the survey, the curriculum development of Maltese schools has been redirected to place a focus on environmental awareness and global learning. Similarly to international findings, internationalisation is mainly evident through the extra-curricular programmes within schools such as through networking initiatives and international projects.

By linking with other schools, staff and student visits to overseas schools take place. Engaging in international projects or programmes is deemed as beneficial and is one of the preferred modes of internationalisation in Maltese schools. By engaging in these projects, schools work towards a target which helps them raise their standards to international ones.

The schools’ staff development is also enhanced through internationalisation. The employment of international staff members, since Maltese is a prerequisite for employment, is not very common in Malta except within the private sector. The public sector does however make use of language support assistants within the classrooms. Some schools also employ a coordinator who looks after the induction of the international learners. As part of the staff development, the findings confirm that by networking or liaising with international bodies international experts are brought to the schools especially for the professional development of the staff. This is mostly evident in state and Church schools. Private schools also believe greatly in the benefits of international training and they financially invest in this area.

Through this research the international literature on internationalisation is further enhanced through two additional aspects which emerge within the case of Malta, but which are interpreted differently in other countries. The first emerges through networking with sister schools with the intent of upkeeping the congregation’s ethos and vision. The second emerges through the reinforcement of the element of community spirit through global awareness. By creating links with European sister schools of the same congregation, Church schools in Malta ensure that their ethos and vision are sustained. Through these links, the schools have a focal point which they work towards and which is shared among the schools’ stakeholders. All sectors also focus on the element of giving to those who are needy. Apart from enhancing global awareness, the schools’ Catholic or spiritual ambience is thus reinforced and permeates the schools irrespective of their sector.

Chapter 6 concludes this study by demonstrating how the analysis of this Maltese case contributes to the development of the theory of internationalisation of schools. It also sheds light on three related research areas: postcolonial studies, island states, and theories of school development. The findings from this empirical research indicate that autonomy and shared leadership are two crucial factors when embedding internationalisation. The findings confirm that leadership is necessary for commitment towards internationalisation to be maintained. The Maltese cases demonstrate an international focus which is usually spearheaded by the school leader or teachers who demonstrate initiative. The author defines these stakeholders as ‘Ideas Initiators and Doers’ since through them internationalisation is initiated, embedded, sustained and evaluated.

The findings also indicate that with private schools being more decentralised and have greater autonomy they are better able to try out new ideas especially within the schools’ curriculum and professional development. On the other hand, empirical findings from all the three sectors demonstrate that with a school leader who has an international vision and is given the free hand to engage in internationalisation practices, internationalisation is possible and permeates the schools. The research therefore confirms international findings and demonstrates that leadership is an important asset when embarking on change or the implementation of a new initiative.

The author also identifies some aspects which transpire within Malta and are linked to the phenomenon of internationalisation. These, however, create dichotomous situations. The educational system gives importance to the languages, which reflects the European Dimension within schools, and which is a great international practice. However, the author attests that a dilemma emerges within schools as to whether Maltese, as one of the national languages should be taught to international learners. Another aspect which is linked to migration and Malta’s membership in the EU is the introduction of Ethics in the curriculum. Ethics has created another dichotomous situation in Malta. Not all schools feel the need to teach this subject since they only educate a small number of international learners. Another evident dilemma arises between enhancing national identity and culture and taking on an international perspective since the author deems both are important.

Migration has also generated confusion especially since it is considered as an asset by some while others fear it or see it as additional pressure. Internationalisation also brings to the fore the issues of equality and inequality and the danger that its benefits are not enjoyed by all students. Through the findings the author ascertains that schools which do not focus upon the international reinforce inequality while schools which have an international focus offer equal opportunities to their students. By focusing upon the international, creating networks and tapping into EU resources and funding, schools not only work towards international standards and improve their practices but also acquire enhanced distinction and reputational legitimacy.

The existing research contemplates upon the depth and level of internationalisation practices within schools. Although international findings mention that internationalisation practices are found on a continuum or linked to the positionings of the institutions, the author attests that through the Maltese case internationalisation activities resulted at all three levels - fragmentary, sustainable and transformative. Therefore, the author concludes that although internationalisation activities that are strategically and systematically planned can establish an international profile of a school, the most vital aspect is that schools have begun to focus upon internationalisation since internationalisation is still in its infancy in Malta.

This study concludes by focusing on some limitations and recommendations for further research. The study was limited to the three schools which constituted the cases. Since it focused on school leaders, coordinators and teachers, the perspectives of the parents, students and other stakeholders were not taken into consideration. The study also focused upon the identified schools which demonstrated great evidence of internationalization through the survey. Therefore, other schools and their internationalization practices were not taken into consideration. Since internationalization has never been studied in Malta the author studied internationalization in its broader sense. This means that the study explored the overall idea of internationalization within Maltese schools and therefore in-depth focus on any one aspect was not possible. Finally, another aspect which could not be taken into consideration when collecting evidence were the rapid developments of migration in Malta. Although Chapter 3 was updated several times to include national changes, too many changes are still taking place. The author is thus aware that her literature review might still have its limitations.

Based on the findings and limitations of this study the author sets the scene for further possible research on internationalization in Malta. Similar research could focus upon internationalization in higher education since this has not been studied in Malta. Taking other stakeholders' views on the phenomenon of internationalization would also constitute further research. Finally, since schools look towards practical ways of embedding theory into practice, a compendium of good practices within the area of internationalization could be drawn up. This could guide both national and international schools wishing to embed internationalization within them.

Authors with CRIS profile

Anita Seguna Lehrstuhl für Pädagogik mit dem Schwerpunkt Diversity Education und internationale Bildungsforschung

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How to cite

APA:

Seguna, A. (2019). The Internationalisation of Secondary Schools in Malta. Malta: Midsea Books Ltd. 2019.

MLA:

Seguna, Anita. The Internationalisation of Secondary Schools in Malta. Malta: Midsea Books Ltd. 2019, 2019.

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