Bringing Institutionalization to the Fore in Educational Organizational Theory: Analyzing International Schools as Institutions

• In Event: Organizational Theory in Research and Practice

Abstract

International schools have traditionally been not-for-profit and catered for the children of an expatriate work-force and/or pursued a commitment to education for global peace. The growth of new forms International Schools with new rationales raises concerns about their legitimacy relative to traditional norms.

In this article, we use institutionalisation theory to analyse the legitimacy of International Schools. We first explore institutional legitimacy and institutionalisation theory to develop an analytical framework. By analysing various data sources, we illustrate the framework with examples of carriers of the institutionalisation of International Schools, focussing on the institutionalisation of curricular provision. We then discuss matters arising from our analysis, and argue for an enhanced role for institutionalisation theory in organisation theory in education.

Authors

• Tristan Bunnell, University of Bath

• Michael Fertig, University of Bath

• Christopher R. James, University of Bath