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ThesisUniversity of Iceland>Menntavísindasvið >Meistaraprófsritgerðir>



Skolelederens balancegang mellem kulturene på de danske skoler i Sydslesvig


The purpose of my research is twofold. Firstly to examine the difficulties in which a school leader in South Slesvig may find himself when working in a cross cultural environment. Secondly to look particularly into different institutional values and forms of practice and the impact these differences may have on the actions of school leaders.
Sydslesvig - a minority with a historical background which has existed for almost 90 years. The school leaders in the Danish schools in Germany are subject to German legislation, and most of the pupils are from German speaking homes. The finances of the schools are dependent on subsidies from Denmark. It is the purpose of the Danish schools to introduce Danish language and culture to the pupils and children, and it is the aim of the school to promote the consciousness of the pupils about solidarity with the Danish community in Sydslesvig and with the Danish people. At the same time it is the purpose of the school to qualify the pupils to live and work in the German society. That is what the objects clause says. Which dilemmas are the school leader exposed to because of the cross culture, in which a Danish school in a German majority population finds itself. Do the Danish and the German culture give reason for dilemmas? From the principle of loyalty one might say, „I feel Danish“ or „Ich fühle mich dänisch“ and thus profess to the minority, without necessarily mastering the Danish language. People within the minority have many different backgrounds. Some have belonged to the minority through generations from the time when it was still Danish. After World War II some Germans have seen a possibility of survival for their children by sending them to the Danish schools where they had a meal each day. Others feel more attached to the Danish values and the Danish culture so that they deliberately choose to be part of the minority. Some Germans marry a Dane and others are Danish citizens who have moved to the country from Denmark. And there are several variations more, - but the point is that the influences of and by these different compositions must have a significance for the culture and how it affects day-to-day life and decisions-making processes of the school leaders. The results show that the national culture of a leader is of decisive significance for the way cross cultural difficulties are understood and taken care of.

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