Revisiting Robert Axelrod: Cooperation, School Management and Teacher Unions

Vuyisile Msila

Abstract


The militancy of teacher unions is frequently associated with the disruption in schools where unions are antagonistic to management. The objective of this qualitative study was to examine the impact of cooperation between teacher unions and school management. Using Axelrod’s theory of the Evolution of Cooperation, the instrument explored whether school principals can forge successful cooperation between school managers and union site committees. Several studies are showing that cooperation among staff is critical for learner achievement and collegiality. Furthermore, cooperation enables the school’s role-players to work towards a shared vision. The conclusions point out that school managers should consciously engender cooperation to run successful schools where teachers would not betray one another. A methodical cooperation plan could be the missing tool required to turn unsuccessful schools around to become successful. 

https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.20.4.15


Keywords


cooperation; school effectiveness; school management; teacher professionalism; teacher unionism

Full Text:

PDF

References


Amoako, S. (2014). Teacher unions in political transitions: The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) and the dying days of apartheid, 1990-1993. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 49(2), 148-163.

Axelrod, R. (1984). The evolution of cooperation. New York: Basic Books.

Axelrod, R. (2000). On six advances in cooperation theory [Paper Presentation]. School of Public Policy. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, January 2000.

Axelrod, R., & Hamilton, W.D. (1981). The evolution of cooperation. Science New Series, 211(4489), 1390-1396.

Baron, E. J. (2018). The effect of teachers’ unions on student achievement in the short run: Evidence from Wisconsin’s Act 10. Economics of Education Review, 67, 40–57.

Benoot, C., Hannes, K., & Bilsen, J. (2016). The use of purposeful sampling in a qualitative evidence synthesis: A worked example on sexual adjustment to a cancer trajectory. BMC Med Res Methodology, 16, 21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-016-0114-6.

Brink, H. I. (2000). Fundamentals of research methodology for healthcare professionals. Cape Town: Juta.

Christie, P. (1988). The right to learn. Braamfontein: Ravan Press.

Eberts, R. W. (2007). Teachers unions and student performance: Help or hindrance? Future of Children, 17(1), 175-200.

Education Dialogue South Africa. (2013). Making schools and teachers effective. Johannesburg: National Education Collaboration Trust.

Education International (EI). (2017). South Africa: Union collaboration to Improve quality of teaching. https://www.ei-ie-org/en/detail/3920/south-africa- union-collaboration-to-improve-quality-of-teaching.

Euchner, C. (2018). Extraordinary politics: How protest and dissent are changing American democracy. London: Routledge.

Govender, L. (2013). Teacher unions’ participation in policymaking: A South African case study. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 45(2), 184-205.

Govender, L. (2015). Teacher unions, policy struggles and social change, 1994 to 2004. In L. Chisholm (Ed.), Education and Social Change in South Africa after Apartheid, (pp. 267-293). Pretoria: HSRC.

Harper, P. (2015, November, 08). Sadtu suspends jobs-for cash official. City Press. https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/sadtu-suspends-jobs-for-cash-official-20151107.

Heystek, J., & Lethoko, M. (2001). The contribution of teacher unions in the restoration of teacher professionalism and the culture of learning and teaching. South African Journal of Education, 21(4), 222-228.

JET Education Services. (2017). Collaborating towards teacher professionalization: The role of SADTU. https://www.jet.org.za.

Khumalo, S. S. 2021. A critical examination of the recruitment processes of the South African principals from Rawls perspective: A conceptual argument, Cogent Social Sciences, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2021.1918879

Lewin, K. (1947). Field Theory in Social Science. New York: Harper & Row.

Liwane, N. (2017). Quality education and professionalism in South African public education – an Education Law perspective. [Doctoral dissertation, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa].

Mafisa L. J. (2017). The role of teacher unions in education with specific reference to South Africa. Gender and Behaviour, 15(4), 0553-10566.

Mahlangu, V. P. (2013). Understanding militant teacher union members’ activities in secondary schools. Policy futures in education, 11(5), 497- 504. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2304/pfie.2013.11.5.497

Mahomed, A. K. (2014). Teachers’ experiences of conflict with school principals: the impact on teachers, teaching and learning. [Master’s dissertation, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, South Africa].

Makgetla, I., & Shapiro. I. (2016). Business and the South African Transition [Paper presentation] Department of Political Science. New Haven: Yale University.

Masondo, S. (2016). Education in South Africa: A System in Crisis. City Press. https://city-press.news24.com/News/education-in-south-africa-a-system-in-crisis-20160531

Msila, V. T. (2002). Teachers as managers of change [Doctoral thesis, Vista University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa].

Msila, V. (2014). Teacher unionism, school management and leadership: A study of (Eastern Cape) schools in South Africa. Education, Management, Administration and Leadership, 42(2), 259-274.

Nowak, M.A. (2013). Five rules for the evolution of cooperation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

O’Leary, Z. (2017). The essential guide to doing your own research project. London: Sage.

Pattillo, K. M. C. (2012). Quiet corruption: Teachers’ unions and leadership in South African township schools [Bachelor’s dissertation), Wesleyan University, Connecticut, United States of America].

Ramokgotswa, N. I. (2015). The role of teacher unions in the appointment and promotion of teachers in public schools [Master’s Dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa].

Rossman, G. B., & Rallis, S. F. (2003). Learning in the field: An introduction to qualitative research. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Rowlinson, M. (1997). Organizations and institutions. London: Macmillan Press.

Sarakinsky, I. (2000). Opposition in South Africa’s new democracy. June 28-30. Reflections of the Politics of Minorities, Race and Opposition in Contemporary South Africa. Kariega Game Reserve. Eastern Cape.

Seekings, J. (2004). Trade unions, social policy & class compromise in post-apartheid South Africa. Review of African Political Economy, 31(100), 299-312.

Sibiya, T. P. (2017). Key stakeholders’ experiences and perspectives on the role of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) in Education [Master’s dissertation, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa].

Smith, W. C. (2013). Framing the debate over teacher unions. Mid-Atlantic Education Review, 1(1), 17-26.

Soliman, C., & Antheaume, N. (2016). Why and how to promote negotiation in a context of competitive globalization: A review of literature. Retrieved from hal-01270385f

Struwig, F. W., & Stead, G. B. (2004). Planning, designing and reporting research. Cape Town: Pearson.

Tung, A. (n.d.). Review of Axelrod, The evolution of cooperation. https://sites.google.com/site/compmodolin/course-work/reading.list/axelrod-the-evolution-of cooperation

Weingarten, R. (2012). The role of teachers in school improvement: Lessons from the field. Harvard Law & Policy Review, 6(1), 11-38.

Whittle, G. (2007). The role of the South African Democratic Teachers Union in the process of teacher rationalisation in the Western Cape between 1990 and 2001 [Doctoral thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa].

Wills, G. (2014). The effects of teacher strike activity on student learning in South African primary schools. Stellenbosch Economic Working Paper, 01/04, 1-45.

Wills, G. (2016). An economic perspective on school leadership and teachers’ unions in South Africa [Doctoral thesis, Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch University, South Africa].


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


e-ISSN: 1694-2116

p-ISSN: 1694-2493