Doctoral studies focusing on HertsCam
David Frost was a member of the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education for more than twenty years during which time he was approached by a series of people who wanted him to supervise their doctoral studies. Among these were several whose studies focused on the non-positional teacher leadership work within HertsCam and the International Teacher Leadership initiative. The dissertations / theses resulting from these doctoral studies are now available electronically and are outlined below.
Dr Amina Eltemany
Amina was a full-time PhD student at Cambridge. Her home city is Cairo, Egypt and she came to Cambridge immediately after what became known as the Egyptian revolution of 2011. Through her study, she wanted to contribute to societal renewal. In her MPhil, that preceded the PhD, she explored Egyptian teachers’ professionalism. Subsequently her doctoral study used an action research methodology to develop a programme in Cairo based on the teacher-led development work methodology. Through this, she founded CairoCam Network which is currently flourishing and supporting non-positional teacher leadership in many schools.
The academic reference:
Eltemamy, A. (2018) Developing a programme of support for teacher leadership in Egypt. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Eltemamy, A. (2018) Developing a programme of support for teacher leadership in Egypt. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Dr Hanan Ramahi
Some years ago, Hanan founded a school in Ramallah in the occupied territory of Palestine. She went to Cambridge to study leadership and discovered HertsCam and non-positional teacher leadership, which she then brought to her school. She was a full-time PhD student while continuing to be a director of the school. Her study made a link between teacher leadership and social / cultural emancipation.
The academic reference:
Ramahi, H. (2018) Teachers leading school improvement and education reconstruction in Palestine. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Ramahi, H. (2018) Teachers leading school improvement and education reconstruction in Palestine. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Hanan’s dissertation is available here: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.25022
Dr Gulmira Qanay
Gulmira was a full-time PhD student at Cambridge. When she started at Cambridge, she used the Russian version of her name: Kanayeva. She has now chosen to use the Kazakh version, Qanay. Gulmira’s study used an action research methodology and focused on her initiative to support a programme based on the teacher-led development work methodology in four schools in Taraz, a city in the south of Kazakhstan. Gulmira is currently leading a large-scale initiative to support non-positional teacher leadership across Kazakhstan and is now based at the Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education.
The academic reference:
Kanayeva, G. (2019) Facilitating teacher leadership in Kazakhstan, unpublished PhD thesis. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Kanayeva, G. (2019) Facilitating teacher leadership in Kazakhstan, unpublished PhD thesis. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Dr Sarah Lightfoot
Sarah was a part-time EdD student at Cambridge and her study focused on the professionality of the range of practitioners who work with very young children. Her action-based study featured a programme of support based on the teacher-led development work approach. A central problem was that, in the Early Years sector, children’s learning is supported by a wide range of people who have different occupational identities but a shared goal. The focus on leadership as a dimension of professionality for all ‘early years educators’ is a strong feature of this study.
The academic reference:
Lightfoot, S. (2019) Enhancing the professionality of early years educators: a model of support for professional development, unpublished PhD thesis. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Lightfoot, S. (2019) Enhancing the professionality of early years educators: a model of support for professional development, unpublished PhD thesis. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Sarah’s dissertation is available here: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.39149
Other studies relevant to HertsCam
There follows a number of doctoral studies also supervised by David Frost at Cambridge. Whilst they were not directly focused on HertsCam and non-positional teacher teacher leadership, they were closely related to HertsCam and derived some perspective from our work.
Dr Nurbek Teleshaliyev
Nurbek was a full-time PhD student at Cambridge. He originated from Kyrgystan although his professional life took him all over the world working for UNICEF and the like. His study was a qualitative research project focused on teacher professionalism in Kyrgystan. Nurbek has often participated in HertsCam events and his analysis has informed our deliberations in many ways.
The academic reference:
Teleshaliyev, N. (2015) Teachers with a Capital ‘T’: Exploring the professionalism of experienced teachers in Kyrgyzstan, unpublished PhD thesis. University of Cambridge.
Teleshaliyev, N. (2015) Teachers with a Capital ‘T’: Exploring the professionalism of experienced teachers in Kyrgyzstan, unpublished PhD thesis. University of Cambridge.
Dr James Underwood
James was a part-time PhD student at Cambridge. His background was as a teacher, union official and a British Council associate which led to an interest in international networking. The International Teacher Leadership initiative provided a useful context for his qualitative study involving teachers in the UK and in Macedonia.
The academic reference:
Underwood, J. (2017 Building communities and sharing knowledge: a study into teachers working together across national boundaries, unpublished PhD thesis. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Underwood, J. (2017 Building communities and sharing knowledge: a study into teachers working together across national boundaries, unpublished PhD thesis. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Dr Clare Herbert
Clare is currently the headteacher of a primary school in Hertfordshire and has been involved in HertsCam for many years. When she began her EdD, she was a deputy headteacher looking for ways to enable professional learning in collaborative contexts across school boundaries. She used an action research methodology, influenced by teacher-led development work, for a study in which she facilitated ‘lesson study’ for teachers in a number of schools.
The academic reference:
Herbert, C. (2018) Growing professional capital through the Lesson Study cycle, unpublished EdD thesis. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Herbert, C. (2018) Growing professional capital through the Lesson Study cycle, unpublished EdD thesis. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.
Clare’s dissertation is available here: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.23570