How communication occurs in site-based management teams as they carry out site -based management processes in two elementary schools
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to establish a link between communication theory and how communication occurs in site based management teams as they carry out site based management processes. Perceptions were sought from team members to enhance the understanding of communication strategies utilized through the managerial concept of site based management as a systemic reform effort in the school environment. The study was done during the 1997–1998 school year. The setting for the study included two elementary school “Plan Teams” within a large urban school corporation known for its inclusion of site based practices for nearly twenty years. Various methods of obtaining data were utilized including a survey of Plan Team members, interviews with Plan Team members, observations of Plan Team meetings, a review of school site documents and corporation documents related to site based management, and anecdotal records derived from various meetings with school and corporation personnel. Triangulation aided in understanding general findings accumulated from the quantitative and qualitative data acquired. An examination of the results of the study included the formation of ten tables listing frequencies and percentages addressing general research questions. A model depicting the flow of communication channels utilized by the various groups was developed. Research questions addressed the notation of specific communication strategies utilized by Plan Team members with other team members and other school stakeholders to facilitate site based management processes. The identification of impeding and mediating communication factors as identified in the literature were examined and their presence or absence analyzed at the two study sites. This analysis established a link between communication theory and how communication occurs in site-based management teams.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Hirth, Purdue University.
Subject Area
School administration|Elementary education
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