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Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to ascertain students' perceptions on quality of services provided by private universities in Thailand and Japan and how these affected decisions selecting a university. A comparative study aims to focus on how cultural and economic factors affected their decisions. Design/methodology/approach: Research design sought students' perceptions through empirical surveys on the type of factors which influenced their decisions in selecting a university. As the students needed to form their views on personal experience on services categorized into ten factors, the research sample included students with one-four years of campus experience. The research instrument was a well validated questionnaire developed on a review of literature and a pilot study. For the main study, 1,900 Thai students from nine private universities and 703 Japanese students from two private colleges were invited to participate. Findings: Findings suggest that in selecting a university campus the university's reputation, academic staff, quality of the programs and job-placement were the most important factors that influenced student decisions. The comparative analyses reveal many similarities and some differences between the two groups while Thai students had a higher degree of satisfaction than Japanese counterparts which may perhaps be attributed to economic disparities. Implications: Findings may not be generally applicable as the sample was limited and cultural contexts were somewhat similar. Yet, there were generic factors applicable to most universities. Originality/value: These findings are valuable to university administrators and academics to improve the quality of services which are most important in influencing student perceptions in selecting a university. (Contains 11 tables.)

Purpose: This paper aims to focus on a study of the effectiveness of head teacher leadership within TAFE NSW. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to identify and measure the effective leadership attributes of the head teachers. The research sample consisted of head teachers and teachers. Findings: The results suggest that the effectiveness of head teachers' leadership needs to be improved substantially. More specifically, there was a significant difference between the self-perceived leadership effectiveness of the head teachers and the leadership effectiveness perceived by the teachers. The study also showed that the effects of gender, length of service as a head teacher, length of service in the position and the educational discipline area did not have a substantial effect on head teacher leadership effectiveness. However, emergent issues such as workload, lack of support and training, and the gap between the head teacher and higher-level management were significant factors affecting head teacher leadership. Practical implications: The findings suggest leadership development programs should be initiated to assist in developing the leadership areas in need of improvement, and additionally the need for better succession planning of the organization. Originality/value: A study of the nature and scale, focused on the head teacher leadership effectiveness has not been undertaken before, within the Australian context, and this paper presents some useful information for future workforce planning of VET institutions and significant addition to the existing stock of knowledge. (Contains 1 table.)

This paper examines the impact of implementing Participatory School Administration, Leadership and Management (PSALM) on the levels of trust among the educational stakeholders in Philippine public secondary schools. After an introductory section, the research context is provided by briefly reviewing relevant literature on PSALM and on trust and by describing the Philippine school system. The next section describes the research methods, which included an experiment with empirical surveys (first survey--735 respondents; second survey--603 respondents), documentary analysis and interviews. Research results are then discussed. Finally, based on the data, the paper concludes by suggesting that the Philippines should expedite the process of establishing school councils in its public schools. (Contains 9 tables.)

Purpose: The paper aims to examine the effect of implementing participatory school administration, leadership and management (PSALM) on the levels of empowerment among the educational stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed method approach, combining the experimental design with empirical surveys, interviews and documentary analysis, was used. Survey respondents (735 for the first survey and 603 for the second survey) were school heads, teachers, students, alumni, parents and community leaders coming from 76 public secondary schools in one provincial school division in the Philippines. Findings: Stakeholders who implemented PSALM reported higher levels of empowerment compared with the control group school heads and teachers felt more empowered than the other stakeholders after one year of PSALM implementation; there was a trend for the younger and 51 years + participants to feel less empowered after implementing PSALM. The stakeholders faced challenges in implementing PSALM but they overcame them by opening communication channels and manifesting supportive behaviours. Research limitations/implications: Only people who indicated willingness to implement PSALM were involved, so there was no way to determine how stakeholders who are hesitant to practice the experimental intervention would react. Practical implications: It is suggested that the Philippine public schools should expedite the implementation of PSALM via school councils as a way to improve the school system. Originality/value: The paper presents evidence, drawn from a management experiment, that establishes the link between PSALM and empowerment levels of stakeholders. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

Irrespective of how the roles, tasks, and responsibilities of principals have evolved due to educational change and reform, the school principal still holds the key to achieving school effectiveness. Over the last few decades, extensive studies have been conducted on the role of the school principal. Most scholars, researchers, and school reformers have discussed the role of the school principal as the school leader, school manager, key decision maker, facilitator, problem solver, chief executive officer, chief learner, marketer, team leader, and agent of change (Edmonds 1979; Clark, Lotto, and Astuto 1984; Smith and Purkey 1983; Carnage 1990, 1996a, and 1996b; Earth 1991; Sergiovanni 1987; Thomson 1993; Caldwell 1994; and Cranston 1996). These studies, however, provided only limited information about the profiles and professional development of school leaders who are meeting the new challenges in 21st-century schools. In recent years, as a result of increased collaboration and communication among educational institutions in various nations, a series of research projects to examine and compare aspects of school leadership, including professional education and experiences of school leaders, have been conducted. This paper presents the profiles and entry perspectives of Australian and Japanese school principals, and information on preservice and in-service training programs related to professional development. Implications for changes in university-level professional development programs, and selection and training of school principals in both Australia and Japan are examined. (Contains 6 tables.)

Discusses the political ideology and basic principles of the school-centered reforms of New South Wales. Describes the reform package; reports on progress during the first year of implementation; and evaluates major issues that have delayed the process of change. Concludes with an attempt to predict future outcomes. (23 references) (MLF)