Western Australian Institute for Educational Research Inc 2013 Research Seminar Program WAIER invites you to an afternoon seminar to be held at Edith Cowan University, Joondalup Wednesday 26 June, 4.30 pm-6.00 pm Venue: Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, School of Education, Room 8.302 See [Joondalup Campus map] for location and visitor parking Afternoon tea from 4.30 pm, presentation 5.00-6.00 pm, with time for question and answer/feedback.

An examination of Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow in Western Australian school leaders' work and learning Presented by Dr Neil MacNeill Principal: Ellenbrook Independent Public School In many jurisdictions school leaders are being placed under increased accountability and stress, which then affects their ability to address the real issue of education - improving students' learning. Flow theory, developed by the Hungarian-American psychologist Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, has a high degree of relevance to the issue of the way modern school leaders carry out their roles. A purposive sample of school leaders (N = 8) was interviewed about their Flow experiences, in both in-school and out-of-school situations. The moral dimension of the school leaders' job was identified by the respondents as the most important facilitator of Flow in both public and private schools, and this may provide the key to improved school leader resilience and motivation.

Dr Neil MacNeill

Dr Neil MacNeill is a school principal, adjunct lecturer at Curtin University [Profile] and chairs the Veterans' Children's Education Board in Western Australia. Neil holds a MEdAdmin (U.Qld), MEd (RMIT), PhD and EdD (Curtin). He is widely published in matters of educational leadership and educational change. In Western Australia he was one of the small group working with the Honorable Peter Collier MLC that developed "Empowering School Communities", which grew into Independent Public Schools.