Leadership Through Critical Incidents in International Schools: A Study From Across the Greater ASEAN Region

Introduction

International schools have been broadly defined by Bunnell (2020) as “schools with a global outlook located mainly outside an English-speaking country delivering a non-national curriculum at least partly in English” (p.2). Understanding what is meant by a critical incident in the context of international school leadership underpins this study. International school leaders (ISLs) are the principals, heads, and directors, they are the figureheads, working directly with the owners and governors of international schools. International schools have seen a rapid rise in numbers globally since the turn of the century (Gaskell, 2019 & Bunnell, 2020). In the latter half of the twentieth century, international schools and their teachers had enjoyed relative anonymity from mass research, the schools themselves were frequently autonomous from governments and regulations (Fertig, 2007; James & Sheppard, 2014). Often isolated geographically from each other with limited contact through collegiate relationships, the schools would govern themselves based on their native country’s culture and principles with a majority expatriate population and dealt with any incidents that might occur in a quiet and unspecified manner. Over the past twenty years, there has been a rise in the global middle class (Koo, 2016), a rapid expansion of international schools has been seen globally, particularly across the Middle East and Asia (Keeling, 2011; Machin, 2017). Schools have become very profitable, with the range and scope of international schools for parents to choose from having equally expanded. This expansion has relied on the global middle class. Consequently, the population dynamics of international schools has changed. Expatriates are no longer the dominant community culture within these schools, what was approximately 80% expatriate students to 20% local students has flipped. International school populations with over 80% or more being host nationals has become more normal (Gaskell, 2019). The teaching and leadership staff have not seen the same reversal and remain, in the mainstream, an expatriate majority (Budrow & Tarc, 2018; Bunnell, 2019; Bunnell & Atkinson, 2020). The rise in international schools has led to an increase in the number of teachers and leaders recruited. Many from their home countries or other continents (Budrow & Tarc, 2018; Robertson, 2018). This is seen especially across Asia and, in particular, the Greater ASEAN region (GAR). Across the recognised types of international schools, many have a disproportionate number of local, host country, families compared to expatriates (Hayden & Thompson, 2008). Often the expatriate families come from different countries and cultures to that of the staff and leadership. Another challenge for the leadership is the increasing observation of staff being hired locally. This observation, supported by Bernado & Malakolunthu (2013), adds another working cultural dimension. As international schools have an ever-growing footprint, it is understandable that many would face situations or incidents of a critical nature. Leadership may habitually rely on experience or knowledge to deal with incidents, often this experience is gained in another country with a different culture to that found in the GAR international schools.