Abstract:

This study examines the impact of facilitation skills training using the Solution-Focused Team Meeting Method (SFTMM) on school administrators’ behavior from a managerial perspective.

In Japan, since the COVID-19 pandemic, children’s mental health problems have become more serious, and the suicide rate among students before entering university has reached a record high. To support them, teachers work long hours that exceed the maximum recommended work hours. In addition, practical training programs are still developing for the facilitation of school managers skills, and some of them do not wish to be promoted to managerial positions. Under these circumstances, the SFTMM is being utilized in Japanese educational settings to discuss children’s problems effectively and to foster better relationships among teachers. Setsuko Sato, a former professor at Yamagata University, developed the SFTMM based on professional knowledge of “business facilitation” and “solution-focused counseling” approaches. When teachers and other professionals in educational counseling use this method, they can discuss children’s problems in as little as 30 minutes and find next-step strategies. This research examines a case study in which facilitation skills training through the SFTMM was provided by a school counselor to managers, and discusses their behavioral change from a managerial perspective.

The case study was an introductory training of the SFTMM conducted by the school counselor in an educational counseling case meeting. The participants were the principal, two supervisors, who had teaching experience and would be in supervisory positions for several years, and the school social worker. The participants had been discussing children’s problems for some time, but they had been searching for the causes of the problems and had been unable to decide on any countermeasures. After the training program using SFTMM, the participants’ impressions and behavioral changes post training were examined from a managerial perspective.

The results showed the following positive impacts regarding facilitation skills among the participants; improved assertiveness, the discovery of specific measures based on their role understanding, and understanding of facilitation skills through the meeting process. Other managerial impacts were found to be increased motivation and proactive behavior due to reduced meeting time. However, it was also confirmed that their positions and politeness in this school may hinder their facilitation.

In conclusion, the results suggest that the SFTMM is effective in improving the administrators’ facilitation skills in Japanese schools, and may also promote their motivation by improving the work environment. However, further research on the applications of the SFTMM to various school settings is required.

Keywords:

Facilitation, managerial skills, training, solution-focused team meeting method, educational counseling case meeting.