Leaders' experiences with high school–college writing center collaborations: A qualitative multiple-case study

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore academic leaders’ experiences with the organizational elements of their own high school–college writing center collaborations. Conjoining theories framed this study: collaborative leadership theory, Kenneth Bruffee’s notion of social constructionism and collaborative learning theory at the heart of writing center work—the craft of human interdependence, Lave and Wenger’s concept of communities of practice, and writing curriculum theory. Based on purposeful sampling criteria, the researcher selected 6 cases involving 22 academic leaders from 11 institutions for the study and applied a manual data analysis process to primary data involving in-depth interview transcripts, followed by secondary data involving collaboration documents and the reflective journal. Themes and patterns emerged in participants’ descriptions of their experiences with the organizational elements of the Burke-Litwin model: (a) external environment, (b) mission and strategy, (c) leadership, (d) organization culture, (e) structure, (f) management practices, (g) systems (policies and procedures), (h) climate, (i) task requirements and individual skills and abilities, (j) individual needs and values, (k) motivation, and (l) individual and organizational performance. The results of the study provided an in-depth understanding of the organizational elements in each case and a convergence of organizational elements across cases as experienced by academic leaders. This study contributes to institutional administrators, writing center directors, teachers, and professional and peer tutors in developing and leading high school–college writing center collaborations, sharing secondary–postsecondary responsibility for bringing attention to the practice and value of writing, and fostering writing skills that might ease students’ transition to college writing.