Dr Deidre Marjory Le Fevre

Biography

Deidre is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Learning, Development and Professional Practice.  She is the academic programmes leader for postgraduate studies in Educational Leadership at the University of Auckland.  

Her research focuses on practices that support practitioners solve complex leadership and organisational problems. She brings knowledge and skills in understanding organizational change, the development of professional capability, and effective leadership to her work teaching, researching and consulting with leaders and organisations across sectors.

Previous professional experience

• 2003- 2005 Assistant Professor, Washington State Unviersity, USA
• 1996- 2003 Research Associate, University of Michigan, USA
• 1995-1996 Assistant Lecturer, University of Auckland
• 1994-1995 Special Needs Teacher, West Auckland
• 1992- 1994 Primary Teacher, U.K
• 1987-1991 Primary Teacher, West Auckland

Research | Current

• The role perceptions of risk in educational change
• Creating culturally sustaining pedagogies
• Professional learning for improvement
• Developing adaptive expertise
• Effective debriefing following simulation in medical education
• Emotion and learning
• Organisational change

Teaching | Current

• EDPROFST 738 Educational Leadership
• EDUC 121 How People Learn
• EDPROFST 782 Educational Change

Programmes:

• Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership (PGDipEdLdr)
• Master of Educational Leadership (MEdLdr)
• Doctor of Education (EdD)
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Liberal Arts Programme

Postgraduate supervision

Supervision areas: Leadership, professional learning, educational change,  emotions and learning, school effectiveness, and organisational change

Preferred methodology: Mixed methods and qualitative.

 

Current students: Masters

Name	Degree	Title
Ngawai Hooker	MEdLd	Blue classrooms: a snapshot of mental well-being education in New Zealand state secondary schools and stakeholder perceptions
Renee Leckey	MEdLd	Leaders’ perceptions of risk in shadow coaching
Dian Fisher	MEdLd	What are the perceived risks that emerge for teachers and leaders in the planning stages of implementing a new curriculum framework?

Current students: Doctoral

Name	Degree	Title
Amber Pierce	PhD	Empowered Youth: Agents of pro-environmental behavioural change in secondary schools
Miranda Makin	EDd	Leadership development in schools: Senior leaders’ approach to developing middle leaders’ capabilities to lead rigorous inquiry
Waseema Fikuree	PhD	Leadership task effectiveness and student achievement: Perceptions of principals, deputy principals and lead teachers on principal task effectiveness
Lorna Spicer	PhD	Cultural identity and student wellbeing

Completed students: Masters

Name	Degree	Title	Completed
Andy Jones	MEdLd	Understanding the impact of knowledge on perceptions of risk	2019
Cristina Casey-Schoner	MEdLd	Student voice matters: An exploration of teachers’ perceptions of risk when engaging with student voice for improving classroom practices	2019
Elise Broadwith	MEdLd	Building enduring teacher–student relationships: school leaders’ perceptions of the value, the constraints, and the barriers	2019
William Swann	MEd	Culturally responsive leadership practices that enable the success of Samoan boys in a Catholic school	2019
Alison Troy	MEdLd	Leading Technological Change: Factors affecting development and implementation of a new student reporting system in a New Zealand primary school	2018
Channy Meng	MEdLd	Challenges for Cambodian female academic leaders in their roles in higher education	2018
Melody Casse	MPSt	Middle leaders’ perceptions of role in New Zealand primary schools	2018
Nipun Pich	MEdLd	Reducing school dropout rates in Cambodia: Leadership practices that make a difference	2018
Sopheak Pana Saut	MEdLd	Perceptions of inquiry: How junior educators engage in conversation with their senior leaders	2018
Sarah Parker	MEdLd	Say what you mean, mean what you say: Educational leaders’ interpersonal effectiveness in conversations	2017
Bridget Lummis	MEdLd	The impact of reflective dialogue on teaching practice	2016
Faleata Ualesi	MEdLd	Possibilities for improving Pasifika achievement: A duoethnographic Talanoa study	2016
John Eley	MEdLd	Teachers’ perceptions of risk when teaching mathematics through problem-solving: Implications for leading pedagogical change	2015
Sokha Sek	MEdLd	Raising student achievement in Cambodian English language schools: The perceptions of instructional leaders	2015
Jocelyn Hair	MEdLd	What is the role of emotion in adult learning?	2014
Katrina Hosken	MEd	The role of the principal in creating a learning culture that lowers perceptions of risk and supports risk-taking	2014
Tamara Jones	MEdLd	Theories of risk-taking and primary teachers’ engagement in professional learning for change	2014
Paul Matthews	MEdLd	Issues involved in measuring the time-use of school principals: A methodological exploration	2013
Peter Kaiser	MProfSt	Conversations on conversations: A duoethnographic study of collegial conversations between two primary principals	2013
Aneta Dezoete	MEd	Exploring in-school educators perceptions of professional learning communities in New Zealand secondary schools	2012
Diana Patience	MEd	Personalised learning in secondary education: Student experiences and perception	2012
Glenys Daniell	MEdLd	Implications for standards alignment of NCEA Level 1 qualifications attainment: A mixed methods study	2012
James Mawson	MProfSt	Effective conversations: The theories and beliefs of educational leaders	2011
Mei Ng	MProfSt	To what extent do school leaders disclose what they are thinking when having a difficult conversation? An exploration of ‘unspoken thoughts’	2011

Completed students: Doctoral

Name	Degree	Title	Completed
Maria Cooper	PhD	Shifting the lens: Everyday collective leadership activity in education	2018
Tamara Jones	PhD	Working in Wonderland: Teachers’ reactions to innovative learning environments	2018
Kaye Twyford	PhD	Risk or resistance: Understanding teachers’ perceptions of risk in professional learning	2016

Recent Completed Supervisions

 

Completed students: Masters

Broadwith, E. (2019). Building enduring teacher–student relationships: School leaders’ perceptions of the value, the constraints, and the barriers. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Casey-Schoner, C. (2019). Student voice matters: An exploration of teachers’ perceptions of risk when engaging with student voice for improving classroom practices. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Casse, M. (2018). Middle leaders’ perceptions of role in New Zealand primary schools. (MPSt thesis), The University of Auckland.

Daniell, G. (2012). Implications for standards alignment of NCEA Level 1 qualifications attainment: A mixed methods study. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Dezoete, A.  (2012). Exploring in-school educators perceptions of professional learning communities in New Zealand secondary schools. (MEd thesis), The University of Auckland.

Eley, J. (2015). Teachers’ perceptions of risk when teaching mathematics through problem-solving: Implications for leading pedagogical change. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Hair, J. (2014).  What is the role of emotion in adult learning?  (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Hosken, K. (2014). The role of the principal in creating a learning culture that lowers perceptions of risk and supports risk-taking. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Jones, A. (2019). Understanding the impact of knowledge on perceptions of risk. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Jones, T. (2014). Theories of risk-taking and primary teachers’ engagement in professional learning for change. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Kaiser, P. (2013).  Conversations on conversations:  A duoethnographic study of collegial conversations between two primary principals. (MProfst thesis), The University of Auckland.

Lummis, B. (2016). The impact of reflective dialogue on teaching practice. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Matthews, P. (2013). Issues involved in measuring the time-use of school principals: A methodological exploration. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Mawson, J. (2011). Effective conversations: The theories and beliefs of educational leaders. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Meng, C. (2018). Challenges for Cambodian female academic leaders in their roles in higher education. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Ng, M. (2011). To what extent do school leaders disclose what they are thinking when having a difficult conversation? An exploration of ‘unspoken thoughts’. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Parker, S. (2017). Say what you mean, mean what you say: Educational leaders’ interpersonal effectiveness in conversations. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Patience, D. (2012). Personalised learning in secondary education:  Student experiences and perception. (MEd thesis), The University of Auckland.

Pich, N. (2018). Reducing school dropout rates in Cambodia: Leadership practices that make a difference. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Saut, S. P. (2018). Perceptions of inquiry: How junior educators engage in conversation with their senior leaders. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Sek, S. (2015). Raising student achievement in Cambodian English language schools: The perceptions of instructional leaders. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Swann, W. (2019). Culturally responsive leadership practices that enable the success of Samoan boys in a Catholic school. (MEd thesis), The University of Auckland.

Troy, A. (2018). Leading technological change: Factors affecting development and implementation of a new student reporting system in a New Zealand primary school. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

Ualesi, F. (2016). Possibilities for improving Pasifika achievement: A duoethnographic Talanoa study. (MEd Leadership thesis), The University of Auckland.

 

Completed students: Doctoral

Cooper, M. (2018). Shifting the lens: Everyday collective leadership activity in education. (PhD thesis), The University of Auckland.

Jones, T. (2018). Working in Wonderland: Teachers’ reactions to innovative learning environments. (PhD thesis), The University of Auckland.

Twyford, K. (2016). Risk or resistance: Understanding teachers’ perceptions of risk in professional learning. (PhD thesis), The University of Auckland.

 

Current students: Masters

Fisher, D. What are the perceived risks that emerge for teachers and leaders in the planning stages of implementing a new curriculum framework?

Hooker, N. Blue classrooms: A snapshot of mental well-being education in New Zealand state secondary schools and stakeholder perceptions.

Leckey, R. Leaders’ perceptions of risk in shadow coaching.

 

Current students: Doctoral

Fikuree, W. Leadership task effectiveness and student achievement: Perceptions of principals, deputy principals and lead teachers on principal task effectiveness.

Makin, M. Leadership development in schools: Senior leaders’ approach to developing middle leaders’ capabilities to lead rigorous inquiry.

Pierce, A. Empowered youth: Agents of pro-environmental behavioural change in secondary schools.

Spicer, L. Cultural identity and student wellbeing.

Responsibilities

Academic Programme Leader: Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership, Masters in Educational Leadership

Areas of expertise

My research and teaching focus on leadership and learning for educational change and improvement. I have worked in the United Kingdom, The United States and New Zealand where my work has developed understandings and practices that support educational organisations to be increasingly effective in responding  to the interests, needs and growth of all learners.  My research focusses on professional learning and organisational change.  I examine both cognitive and affective aspects of learning that influence professional capability and organisational change.

 

 

Professional Learning, Educational Leadership, Organisational Change, Teacher Development

Committees/Professional groups/Services

Professional Links:

• Membership: American Educational Research Association, Experiential Education Association, Educational Leadership Association
• Reviewer: American Educational Research Association, Reading Research Quarterly, The New Educator, Journal of Teaching and Teacher Education
• Research: First-time Principals Programme, Experienced Principals Programme