Principal and teacher attitudes and perceptions toward implementation of building-based shared decision-making in an urban school setting
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between principals' and teachers' attitudes and perceptions regarding building-based shared decision making in a school district which had implemented the process. The main variables were: (1) principals' attitudes regarding the process, (2) principals' attitudes regarding how the process was functioning in their schools, (3) principals' perceptions regarding areas for teacher involvement in the process, (4) teachers' attitudes regarding the process, (5) teachers' attitudes regarding how the process was functioning, and (6) teachers' perceptions regarding areas for teacher involvement. A number of descriptive variables were also included to determine if they were significantly related to attitudes and perceptions: age, sex, degree, experience, years in present position, SIP team membership and level taught. A twenty-eight item questionnaire was developed to measure the variables and was used for principals and teachers. The study was conducted in June 1987 in an urban school district which had implemented the process on a district-wide basis. Three hundred and fourteen teachers, 41.6% of all full-time equivalent classroom teachers in the 23 study setting schools, responded. Twenty-one of the 23 principals, 91.3%, responded. The basic statistical procedure used was a nested-factorial analysis of the main and interactive effects of the independent variables on the dependent or response variable Y. A significance level of.05 was set. An examination of the results of the analysis led to conclusions that principal and teacher attitudes regarding the process and their perceptions of areas for teacher involvement did not differ significantly. Teachers did indicate significantly less agreement than principals did regarding how the process was functioning in their schools. Teachers indicated significantly less agreement than principals with the following factors: teachers having input in decisions; the principal supporting the process; teachers having input in setting goals and priorities, SIP teams making meaningful decisions; and teachers being provided with enough information to make decisions. The descriptive variables were not significantly related to the attitudes and perceptions.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Nicholson, Purdue University.
Subject Area
School administration
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