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The fact that benefits related to teacher collaboration are associated with characteristics of successful schools makes collaboration particularly relevant for school development processes. The goal of the present study was to identify patterns in perceptions of collaboration and compare them with regard to its perceived benefits, such as professional development, reduced workload, and improved student focus. Results based on cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, and analyses of variance revealed four collaboration patterns that also differed with regard to the benefits of collaboration perceived by teachers. Findings indicate that teachers apply forms of collaboration that are connected to a relatively small decrease in their own autonomy. Teachers who collaborate also perceive benefits, and teachers who feel pressurised by the principal to collaborate neither collaborate more nor perceive more benefits to collaboration. All findings are reviewed with a focus on school development processes, and recommendations for practice are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is aimed at identifying demands and tasks that are considered important by experts in the field of interculturalism for the successful development of schools. Although different theoretical models about intercultural school development, incorporating various conditions and dimensions, have already been suggested, gaps in research on the specific content of various administrative levels of school as an educational institution can still be identified. In order to fill those gaps, we conducted group discussions with small groups of experts in the field of interculturalism. Experts were matched into three groups so that each represents a high level of diversity regarding their particular expertise. Results from the discussions were investigated by applying content analysis. Based on the revealed findings, five fields of action can be established that are essential for the process of intercultural school development. The revealed areas covered a variety of factors, ranging from individual reflection to developmental processes of a school as an organization. In the present study, those facets are interpreted as conditions under which successful intercultural school development processes can be established. While most content areas can be mapped to the existing theoretical models, they add further information with regard to the content of the theoretical dimensions. This is particularly the case at the individual level. Resulting practical implications are explained and further discussed on the basis of inevitable future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]