The doctrine of leader centrism, supported by the concept of methodological individualism, dominates contemporary accounts of leadership in education and is generally applied as the default option that explains how organizations such as schools function. We argue that methodological individualism is not defensible and that as a result, the…

The purpose of this paper is to outline some new developments in a mature research program that sees administrative theory as cohering with natural science and uses a coherence theory of epistemic justification to shape the content and structure of administrative theory. Three main developments are discussed. First, the paper shows how to deal…

There are two major categories of explanation for organisational performance: structural and individual. With the shift away from systems-theoretic accounts that occurred in the 1980s, structural explanations have been replaced increasingly by the individualism of leadership and leader-centric explanations, especially when it comes to schools. In…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to offer a critical reflection on ideas that have been published in the "Journal of Educational Administration" over the last 50 years that present perspectives on the nature of educational administration and its various aspects, that are alternatives to the mainstream systems-scientific view of…

As a former colony, Hong Kong's education system has been powerfully influenced by ideas from the West. However, these influences have been mediated by a number of factors of contingency--the most important of which is culture--which shapes implementation, particularly of what counts as successful practice. The aim of this paper is to trace the…

This author's interest in philosophy derived from a passion for mathematics that developed in middle high school, which he attended in Sydney. In this article, he provides a self-portrait of his intellectual life and his involvement with the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (PESA). He states that despite the research demands of his…

Some criticisms leveled by Richard Bates and Thomas Greenfield against traditional views of the science of administration may be justified, but they do not apply to a science of administration based in the newly emerging philosophy of science. This paper begins by introducing these criticisms, which focus on the traditional views' failure to…

Discusses Greenfield's understanding of theory and science and its place in educational administration, beginning with the New Movement's conception of administrative science and its supposed relevance for administrative practice. Considers Greenfield's trenchant criticisms of traditional science in administration and explore his research agenda…

Responds to criticisms about their article in the same "Educational Management and Administration" issue. The naturalistic, coherentist approach offers the best prospect for illuminating the cognitive dynamics of will, choice, and decision. The bad news for critical theorists is the survival of capitalism and the collapse of its…

Asserts that arguments about traditional logical empiricist conceptions of science have figured in ill-conceived debates over educational administration theory. Reviews these debates and their consequences for administrative theory. Urges adoption of a nonfoundational, coherentist view of knowledge justification leading to a broader conception of…

Replies to Trevor Maddock's philosophical critique of the authors' work. Explains authors' attempts to develop a new science of administration that incorporates values and human subjectivity and a new view of knowledge termed "naturalistic coherentism." Science is still being equated with a positivist version of empiricism. Maddock…

This paper explores the nature of the contribution that can be made to administrative theory by recent developments in the philosophy of science and the emerging new views of science: notably, the arguments of Richard Bates and Thomas Greenfield. These emerging views of science can sustain a science of administration that escapes their major…