bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PRODUCTIVITY AND PUBLICATIONS PATTERNS IN DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
Authors: MANNY GUNNE G. , DOUGLAS STOUT W.
Published: February 2008

Criteria and procedures for faculty evaluation systems have never been easily or clearly identified, and previous studies on these issues hate produced conflicting or inconclusive data, while information on productivity and publication patterns has been extremely sparce. The research from which the present information is derived was designed to examine possible incongruities between expressed and applied criteria and procedures employed in evaluating faculty members for retention, promotion, and tenure. Productivity and publication records are invariably part of these criteria. Some surprising findings concerning faculty evaluation were uncovered, but one of the most interesting findings concerned the publication patterns of faculty within departments of educational administration.
ISSUES IN THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS
Authors: STANTON MICHAEL
Published: February 2008

Considerable importance has been attached, in recent years, to the academic aspects of the professional development of secondary school principals. A case is presented for several issues to be included in education for administration. The purposes of this education should be clearly stated; principals should be acquainted with ways of evaluating administration in their own schools; the many implications of the changing nature of secondary education should be considered. The writer suggests that administrators should study ways in which the school and its structures can influence pupils' social development. Organisational theory, an enduring issue, is considered in terms of a multidisciplinary approach to the study of educational administration.
ORGANISATIONAL ROLE CLIMATES: SUCCESS‐FAILURE CONFIGURATIONS IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Authors: INBAR DAN E.
Published: February 2008

The classical dichotomy between success and failure is hardly applicable in the analysis of organisational behaviour, performance and outcomes in complex social roles, such as those in education. A unique approach has to be developed. Hence, a threefold classification has been pursued here: unequivocal failure, “satisficing”, and unequivocal success. Although viewed as existing along a continuum, they are marked out by failure and success thresholds. Four basic role climates, transpiring from four basic failure‐success configurations, have been identified and analysed: “apathetic”, “frustrating”, “tense”, and “tranquil” role climates, from which preliminary hypotheses of organisational behaviour have been derived. Application of the analytical framework developed here was restricted to the school principal, a complex role, with many components which are characterised by different and often conflicting role climates. Tentative propositions relating to school principal role climates and organisational behaviour were postulated on the basis of this analytical framework.
NOTES ON THEORY AND RESEARCH IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
Authors: SWAN BILL
Published: February 2008

INTRODUCTION The work of Lewin and his associates showed that the same groups of people behave in distinctly different ways under leaders whose styles differ. Subsequently, many researchers have stressed the efficiency of leadership that emphasizes consideration, mutual identification, and personal influence. Impressive evidence has been mustered in support of this position through a number of studies by staff members of the Child Welfare Research Station at Ohio University and the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. These studies charted the reactions of a range of subjects to different types of supervision with the general objective of contrasting levels of performance associated with three leadership types. The performance criteria were productivity, inter and intra‐job movement, absenteeism, satisfaction with the job situation and personal motivation.
THE EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATOR: A SKETCH FOR DISCUSSION
Authors: YOUNG PAMELA E.
Published: February 2008

This paper suggests that educational administration has not as yet closely examined the questions of political and social philosophy which underlie many of the decisions made by educational administrators in local government of education in England. The author seeks to examine a number of contextual factors within which philosophical issues might be discussed. These contextual factors are: the dimensions of the educational administrator's functions: the overlap between administration and policy‐making: the corporate management structure: and the incremental nature of educational policy‐making. It is concluded that the developing area of public policy analysis is the likely starting point for assistance with the philosophical issues, though even here theories about policies and their outcomes are few and far between.
THE VALUE OF THEORY COURSEWORK IN ENHANCING STUDENTS' CONCEPTUAL COMPLEXITY
Authors: SILVER PAULA F. , HESS ROBERT
Published: February 2008

This paper reports the findings of an exploratory, small sample, one institution study designed to assess the value of process‐oriented theory coursework in enhancing students’ conceptual complexity. The study is based on conceptual systems theory which acknowledges that there are considerable differences among individuals in their abilities to process information in their social environments. The authors conclude tentatively from the study that process‐oriented theory coursework does affect students' conceptual complexity. For example, those who formally studied organization theory generally make more differentiations among constructs than do other students; similarly, they scored higher on a general measure of integrative complexity.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRESS IN THE ROLE OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL IN ISRAEL
Authors: EREZ MIRIAM , GOLDSTEIN JOSEPH
Published: February 2008

The present study examined the potential and actual stress in terms of conflict and ambiguity, in the role of the elementary school principal. The investigation was focused on the pedagogical and the administrative domains of the principal's role. Data on the perceived ambiguity and conflict were collected by means of individually administered questionnaires to 65 elementary school principals in Israel. In addition, objective ambiguity was measured by content analysis of formal documents of the Ministry of Education. Results pointed at the existence of role conflict as well as that of role ambiguity in objective and in subjective terms. Activities which fell under the administrative domain contained fewer clements of stress than those in the pedagogic domain. It was concluded that role stress forced the principal to neglect his pedagogical duties in favor of the administrative duties.
MOTIVATING STAFF —
Authors: BATCHLER MERV
Published: February 2008

The relevance to education of Herzberg's “motivation‐hygiene” theory and its implications for school administrators facing the “perennial problem” of motivating staff are mentioned. It is suggested that if the school administrator wishes to attempt to motivate staff by making use of the “satisfiers” and in line with a synthesising theory of supervision, it might be appropriate for him to increase staffs opportunity for goal setting, provide opportunity for participative decision making in relevant areas, and increase professional competence of staff so that they become more informed as decision makers. Since not all teachers want to “self‐actualize” on the job, job enrichment attempts ought to be presented as opportunities rather than demands for change.
ISSUES AND CHANNELS IN COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN A SCHOOL AND ITS PARENTAL ENVIRONMENT
Authors: MELLOR WARREN L. , MARTIN HAYDEN P.
Published: February 2008

If schools do not adequately meet the needs of their parental community, then over time the students and resources on which those schools depend are likely to suffer a progressive decline or withdrawal. There are administrative implications of this for all schools, but particularly perhaps for non‐government schools. In order to remain responsive to the needs and expectations of their supporting parent environments, schools must develop methods of communication whereby they may exchange evaluative information about performance. This study examined some of the issues and channels of communication between one school and its parent body. From a sample comprising 187 of the parent body, it seems clear that parents had definite preferences regarding the content of, and procedures for, communications with the school. The four issues identified as of most importance for discussion between the school and the parents were: academic progress; teacher, parent and child relationships; vocational guidance and careers; and behavior/discipline. The most preferred method for finding out what is happening at the school was by weekly circular from the school. On the other hand, parents showed a general preference for direct, personal methods of communicating their own concerns to the school. There was some variability of results according to the year level of the student. The study suggests a number of administrative strategies which the school can implement to enable it to remain open to the ideas, preferences and expectations of parents.
WORK‐RELATED ATTITUDES OF ACADEMIC STAFF AT AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES PART 2 — ROLE DIFFERENTIATION AND INSTITUTIONAL CULTURE
Authors: ENTREKIN L.V. , EVERETT J.E.
Published: February 2008

This study develops an empirical basis for examining role differentiation in Australian Universities and Colleges. Multiple discriminant analysis of the work‐related attitudes of academics working at nine Australasian Universities and Colleges of Advanced Education is used to investigate their institutional culture and two discriminant functions are established. The first discriminant function clearly distinguishes between the universities and the colleges, in agreement with their commonly perceived emphases on academic and professional education. The second discriminant function can be interpreted as distinguishing the more conservative institutions. It is found that the cultural differences thus established between the institutions cannot be explained by the demographic differences recorded between their members. Several policy related questions are examined in the light of these findings and their implications discussed.
ADMINISTRATIVE ATTRIBUTION THEORY
Authors: FRASHER JAMES M. , FRASHER RAMONA S.
Published: February 2008

It is hypothesized that the growing body of empirical data concerning the naive psychology of the assignment of cause — attribution theory — yields a substantial number of concepts which are logically assumed to offer significant potential insight into the administrative process. In order to stimulate the research necessary to test this hypothesis the existing research is presented and a theoretical formulation entitled Administrative Attribution Theory is offered. The structural framework of this conceptualization rests with five constructs: (1) asymmetry, i.e., attributions reflect a general positive bias; (2) concomitance, i.e., attributions vary with pre‐conditioned mind sets; (3) enhancement, i.e., attributions provide the individual psychological control of the environment; (4) process, i.e., the attributional process is highly generalizable, and (5) reconstruction, i.e., existing attributions may be altered through the manipulation of external variables. Examples of researchable questions are given to further facilitate field testing in educational administration.
A REACTION TO “TOWARD ADMINISTRATIVE PHILOSOPHIES”
Authors: HATCHARD D.B. , ROSS D.
Published: February 2008

This paper constitutes the reaction of an administrator and of a theoretician to Hannah's attempt to bridge the gap between theory and practice in Educational Administration. (Journal of Educational Administration. Vol. XVIII, No. 1. July, 1980. pp. 114–131.) The authors find that, overall, Hannah's approach toward the development of philosophies leading to a more humane administrative style is disappointing. His psychological naivety and philosophically obfuscatory approach leave the practitioner still searching for solutions to everyday administrative problems.
TWENTY YEARS A JOURNAL: AN ANNIVERSARY STATEMENT
Authors: ROSS THOMAS A.
Published: February 2008

The Journal of Educational Administration enters its twentieth year of publication with this edition. In this anniversary statement the Editor briefly examines the original “mission” of the Journal and commits it to a continuation of its international orientation. The history of the Journal encompasses a period of great development in the study of educational administration. In many respects the Journal has been uniquely situated to monitor this exciting growth. It has witnessed the establishment of international organizations and programs, new associations, training programs, and journals. Some of the criticisms of the Journal are considered and commitments for the future are made.
TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF ORGANIZATIONAL ROLES, ROBUSTNESS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
Authors: ELLETT CHAD D. , LICATA JOSEPH W.
Published: February 2008

A total of 264 elementary and secondary school teachers in a southeastern state completed the Robustness Semantic Differential for concepts focusing on their role, their principal's role and the role of students in school organization. They also completed the School Survey, a multidimensional measure of their attitudes toward their work environment. As hypothesized, results of multiple regression analyses produced significant positive correlations between the following variable sets: 1) the robustness of the teaching role and attitudes about professional performance and development, 2) the robustness of the principal's role and attitudes about supervisory relations, and 3) the robustness of the student role and attitudes toward the educational effectiveness of the school and its programs.
PLANNING IN GARBAGE CANS: NOTES FROM THE FIELD
Authors: LARSON ROBERT
Published: February 2008

“Rational planning models” emerged in the early 1970's as a means by which to plan more effectively and efficiently in educational organizations. One of the most well known and widely distributed of these models was developed by Phi Delta Kappa, the educational fraternity. This paper describes a field study conducted in five Vermont schools that were “early users” of the Phi Delta Kappa material. The outcomes reveal many discrepancies between the theory and the reality of planning in public schools. In addition to the Vermont research, other research is cited that supports many of the findings and relates them to planning in schools in general. The article concludes by linking the study outcomes to recent works by other authors on the emerging concepts of loosely coupled systems, garbage can organizations, and organized anarchies and implications these concepts hold for alternative approaches to planning in educational settings.
IMAGES OF STATE SCHOOL SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION IN THE LITERATURE ON EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION: AN AUSTRALIAN PERSPECTIVE
Authors: SIMPKINS WILLIAM S.
Published: February 2008

A study of the published statements of Australian school administrators revealed that two distinctive configurations of power and service relationships are projected in their publically presented images of state school administration as it relates to government and the public. A previous Traditional Centralist‐Unity configuration is now being replaced by an Emergent Devolution‐Diversity conformation. Analysis was directed to (a) understanding the significance of the two images in terms of their function as public communications, and (b) accounting for the shift in the imagery in the light of pressures for change, the way administrators are interpreting change as turbulence, and the projection of counter images incorporating critiques of government school systems. To help organise analysis, it was assumed that images of system administration have the potential to communicate: 1. information, 2. explanation, 3. judgements and value positions, 4. statements designed to advance sectional interests, and 5. themes and persuasive symbols. It was also assumed that the shift in the public images of administrators may be studied in the way their images relate to three basic sources of administrative tension: tensions which arise from problems of meaning, problems of aspiration, and problems of practice.
PRESENTATION OF SELF BY EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATORS: A STUDY IN SELF‐MONITORING
Authors: SARA NATHIR G. , RODGERS FREDERICK A.
Published: February 2008

This study is aimed at testing hypotheses regarding relationships between self‐monitoring of educational administrators and a number of personal, organizational, and community variables. Using the Self‐Monitoring Scale, data were collected from a random sample of superintendents and principals of schools in Illinois. After establishing discriminant validity of the S‐M Scale, multiple regression was used for data analysis. The central finding is that urbanity of the community, cost per pupil, and age of the administrator are significant predictors of self‐monitoring. An important implication is that behaviour of high self‐monitoring administrators may be viewed as having both positive and negative effects in regard to the extent to which they can exercise personal judgment and follow their own convictions. A couple of issues are raised for which further research is needed.
A TYPOLOGY OF TEACHER ACTIVISM
Authors: McMORROW J.F.
Published: February 2008

The categorization of different manifestations of teacher activist behaviour is the central focus of this paper. Evidence for the analysis is obtained from interviews with teacher activists and from an extensive period of participant‐observation within an Australian teachers' organization. A matrix of nine categories of activism is described in which teacher unionists are classified according to the strength of their identification with the union (“Us”) or the union leadership's internal and external opponents (“Them”) during a period of intense political and industrial conflict. Some of the personal and attitudinal characteristics of the groups of activist teachers so described are discussed in general terms. The study presents a more complex picture of teacher activism than is implied by the more usual classifications of “left”, “right” and “moderate”. The conclusions drawn might also provide material for more extensive research, perhaps of an empirical nature, into teacher involvement in various forms of political and industrial activism.
POSSIBLE DETERMINANTS OF TEACHER RECEPTIVITY TO EVALUATION
Authors: GLASMAN NAFTALY S. , PAULIN PAULINE J.
Published: February 2008

This paper summarizes two exploratory case studies of teachers' perceptions about their receptivity to evaluation and about possible determinants of this receptivity. The first study explores relationships of receptivity to teacher controllability of evaluated behaviors. It surveys perceptions of elementary school teachers and suggests the existence of a strong positive relationship in activities associated with motivating students. The study also offers a discussion of the significance of controllability as a possible determinant of receptivity. The second study extends the investigation of the relationship between receptivity and controllability. It surveys perceptions of secondary school teachers. Specifically, it explores relationships between receptivity and controllability over two kinds of decision: those associated with teaching activities and those associated with evaluation of these activities. The study also explores the effect on the above relationships of trust and confidence which teachers have in the expertise of their evaluators. The former two relationships are found to be positive. The first, but not the second, is found to be affected by trust and confidence. Selected implications of the findings are offered.
MEMBERS' VIEWS ON THEIR STAFF ASSOCIATION AND ITS ROLE IN THE DECISION STRUCTURE
Authors: DUFTY N.F.
Published: February 2008

The views of academic staff in a large CAE were sought on a number of aspects of their staff association with particular reference to its role in the organization's decision structure. Generally speaking, staff make little use of their association as a channel of communication or as a means of exercising influence on those committees on which the association has ex officio membership. Measures of active and passive participation are highly inter‐correlated and so are levels of satisfaction with the association's performance of its functions. Discriminant analysis suggests that participation in the association is related to staff satisfaction with the operation of decision‐making machinery at the School rather than the institutional level. Measures of satisfaction are positively related to staff members' integration with the organization, indicating a degree of incorporation. This seems a consequence of the situation rather than any shortcoming of the association itself. A general consideration of the appropriate role of staff associations leads to the conclusion that they have a very limited function. In these circumstances participation in their activities may be explained by the symbolic nature of participation itself.
DETERMINANTS OF EDUCATIONAL PLANS OF THE INDETERMINANT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES
Authors: JACK LAM YEE‐LAY
Published: February 2008

Persistent concern for equal opportunities in higher education and the significant decline of Universities' enrolment across Canada in the late 1970's increasingly prompted researchers to focus upon a growing group of high school students who were undecided whether they should proceed with further studies or whether they should join the labour market. Data for the present study were obtained from 374 males and 423 female high school students close to graduation. Crucial socio‐economic factors, school factors and intra‐personal variables affecting their perceived probability for further education in future were identified and their conceptual causal linkages were empirically examined in two separate path analyses. Some striking similarities were located between male and female students indicating that socio‐economic factors play dominant roles accountng for the types of school activities they engaged in. These in turn exerted considerable influence upon their educational plans and aspirations. Extreme pragmatic outlooks, new lifestyles characteristic of students' subculture, and inaccurate assessment of the educational level required for the professions to which they aspired were important deterring factors to further studies for both groups of students. On the other hand, family size, maturity and school achievement had varying degrees of impact on the two groups. Strategies aiming at more effective guidance of students' choice were entertained.
ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY, LEADERSHIP STYLE AND THE MASTER CONTRACT
Authors: ROBSON DONALD L. , DAVIS MARLENE E.
Published: February 2008

With the proliferation of collective bargaining in public schools, administrative prerogatives have been assumed to be curtailed. The influence of the school administrator on teacher behavior has been viewed as beng diminished with the constraints and the formal relationship of the master agreement. This study, based on the notion that administrative influence is not diminished by the negotiation process, measured the teacher's professional zone of acceptance as the dependent variable and compared this measure among those teachers in schools with teacher oriented contracts and those with management oriented contracts. Further, the relationship of leadership style was examined both within and between those groups. It was found that personnel in districts with teacher‐oriented contracts reported a wider professional zone of acceptance than those in management‐oriented districts. In addition, teachers operating under task‐oriented leaders reported greater administrator influence than those whose administrators were high in consideration. It is concluded that task‐oriented leaders in districts with teacher‐oriented contracts have greater influence among their teachers than do people‐oriented leaders,and that leaders high in both task and people orientation have greater influence among teachers in systems with management‐oriented contracts.
DEVELOPMENT OF A SCHOOL—LEVEL ENVIRONMENT QUESTIONNAIRE
Authors: JOHN RENTOUL A. , FRASER BARRY J.
Published: February 2008

The School‐Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ) is a new instrument measuring teachers' perceptions of the following eight psychosocial dimensions of the environment of primary or secondary schools: Affiliation, Student Supportiveness, Professional Interest, Achievement Orientation, Formalisation, Centralisation, Innovativeness and Resource Adequacy. Noteworthy features of the SLEQ are its consistence with the literature, coverage of Moos's three general categories for conceptualising all human environments, salience to practising teachers, specific relevance to schools, minimal overlap with classroom environment instruments, and economy. Administration of the SLEQ to two samples of 83 and 34 teachers, respectively, revealed that each seven‐item scale possessed satisfactory internal consistency and discriminant validity. Preliminary use of the SLEQ provided evidence of its usefulness in research into the effects of school‐level environment on classroom‐level environment and on teachers' pedagogical attitudes.
FACULTY PARTICIPATION IN UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE: AUSTRALIA AND THE UNITED STATES
Authors: POTTER ROBERT E.
Published: February 2008

Written originally as a lecture for American students of tertiary educational administration, this essay traces the historical development of lay boards governing American universities and compares this with the current practice at an Australian university. The increasing influence of governmental bureaucracies in both countries is highlighted. The author, an American professor teaching as a visitor in Australia, takes a second look at the American policy of excluding faculty from governing boards. The presence of faculty members on the board could be a bulwark in the defense of academic freedom and institutional excellence.
KAMINSKY'S REFLECTIONS ON THE FREEDOM AND AUTHORITY ADDENDUM; OR, RETURNING SMITHSON'S PHILOSOPHY FOR HIS OWN USE. A REJOINDER
Authors: KAMINSKY JAMES S.
Published: February 2008

The opportunity to return to some of my thoughts on the relationship of philosophy to the practice of education and the evolution of educational policy provided by Alan Smithson's paper is most appreciated. And, after careful consideration of Smithson's remarks about conceptual confusions and not unmindful of his remarks about factual errors, I believe things are not as bad‐off as he would fear. The Addendum is basically sound and so is its philosophy.
ANALYSING POLICY DEVELOPMENT IN CURRICULUM INNOVATION: A SUGGESTED APPROACH
Authors: CREIGHTON HELEN
Published: February 2008

In this article, an analytical framework that can be used by educational administrators to evaluate and modify policy development in curriculum innovation is presented. The framework is applicable to curriculum innovation of varying types and magnitudes, being relevant both to small‐scale innovation at individual schools and tertiary institutions as well as to large‐scale innovation emanating from centralised educational bureaucracies. Three criteria guided the generation of the analytical framework. Firstly, the framework must be sufficiently comprehensive to permit analysis of all the major components in policy development. Secondly, it should be systematic and enable orderly examination of issues and behaviour. Thirdly, it should facilitate objectivity in analysis. In producing the framework, a considerable volume of literature in areas such as administration, politics, decision‐making and policy‐making, educational planning and educational change was scrutinised. On the basis of this literature review, broad and generalised questions were generated so that diverse manifestations of policy development in curriculum innovation can be analysed. The framework derived relates to the four major interacting variables found to be operative in policy development in curriculum innovation, namely, the participants, the decision‐making and policy‐making processes, the innovation and the environment. It is also designed to allow examination of the interaction of the variables.
THE STRUCTURAL REFORM MOVEMENT IN AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION DURING THE 1980s AND ITS EFFECT ON SCHOOLS
Authors: BEARE HEDLEY
Published: February 2008

The 1980's will be a period of restructuring for Australian education and four factors will be central to this process. 1. School‐based decision‐making will mean Principals are increasingly responsible for managing the education tax‐dollar and accountable to the client community. The School council will be the arena in which educators must explain their actions to and receive approval from parents. 2. New administrative structures, manifested in the formulation of major policy decisions in a consultative arena and the organization of Head Offices along functional lines, means a breaking down of traditional “top down” bureaucracy. Schools and Head Offices will be forced to act collegially rather than hierarchically and Principals will be required to show a new independence and responsibility in management. 3. Regionalization, probably the strongest trend to emerge from the structural reform movement, is a result of the dysfunctions, diseconomies, inefficiency and alienation which set in beyond a certain point in system and geographical size. It is here that the difference between an autonomous school system and a region within a system emerge, and the issue of what functions each locus carries must be resolved. 4. Declining and shifting enrolments, a demographic phenomenon, will mean Principals must learn such new skills and responsibilities as the reduction of staff numbers and the improvement of education in the context of decreasing levels of resources and student numbers. By outlining some of the changes facing educational administrators it is hoped that a calculated and coherent response to the demands of the decade will be possible.
TEACHER EVALUATION AND THE ‘HAND OF HISTORY’
Authors: WOOD CAROLYN J. , POHLAND PAUL A.
Published: February 2008

Using content analysis, the authors examine the purposes of teacher evaluation in relation to the content items on which teachers are assessed and engage in a comparative analysis of teacher evaluation practices in the U.S.A. from three points in time. The overall findings suggest a disparity between the philosophy of teacher evaluation as a mechanism for improving teaching and the practice of teacher evaluation as a tool for administrative decision making, a disparity heavily weighted in favour of the latter. The authors provide evidence that this disparity is historically rooted and likely to endure.
PROFESSIONAL NEEDS OF NIGERIAN TEACHERS
Authors: NDU ALICE N. , OHIKHENA TITUS O
Published: February 2008

This study, designed to identify what needs teachers seek to satisfy in their work place, was carried out in Imo State of Nigeria. Data were collected by a Herzberg‐type interview. Teachers were found to be primarily concerned with adequate pay, occupational advancement, appreciation, personal comforts, security, leadership, achievement and opportunity for personal growth, in that order. It does not appear that these teachers are primarily maintenance‐seekers desiring lower order needs (Maslow) or hygiene factors (Herzberg). Intrinsic needs are rated much lower than extrinsic needs. This may have been conditioned by the Nigerian environment where basic social amenities like electricity, housing, water and transportation are still very inadequate. This study therefore gives an indication of what educational leaders in Nigeria can look into in developing motivational strategies for teachers.
ACCOUNTABILITY IN AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
Authors: MUSGRAVE P.W.
Published: February 2008

Accountability is defined in terms of the monitoring of the rights and duties of teachers, which are themselves always open for negotiation and, therefore, change through time as in consequence must the mechanisms for monitoring them. In Australia accountability has grown less centralised and less bureaucratised as teachers have become more knowledgeable and better trained until to‐day the situation may be seen as one where educational aims are uncertain and monitoring, except of academic knowledge at Year Twelve, is vestigial. Economic factors and the tradition of Australian administration are currently forcing a reconsideration of this position, but ideologies, held both internationally and within the Australian teaching force, operating particularly through teachers' unions, oppose great redefinition. In as multidimensional an administrative field as Australian schooling accountability can not be rendered through one mechanism, but, taking into consideration the varying expertise of all involved, the definition of what is on the educational agenda, and the distinction between consultation and making decisions, a complex, constantly changing system of monitoring must inevitably evolve.
PRINCIPAL BEHAVIOUR AND CURRICULUM DECISION MAKING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE AND METHODS OF CURRICULUM DECISION MAKING
Authors: BRADY LAURIE
Published: February 2008

This article reports a study on the relationship between organizational climate and one aspect of school based curriculum development, namely, who makes the curriculum decisions and how. In a systematically selected sample of 20 primary schools in N.S.W., two questionnaire were administered: the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (OCDQ) to measure organizational climate, and the Curriculum Decision Making Questionnaire (CDMQ) to determine who makes the curriculum decisions and how. The results indicated a highly significant relationship between the organizational climate factor of principal supportiveness, and curriculum decision making by a group of staff, with group decision making more likely to occur when the principal was supportive. Conversely, there was less likelihood of curriculum decision making by the class teacher acting alone, when the principal was supportive.
TEACHER PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL DECISION MAKING: A FRAMEWORK FOR RESEARCH
Authors: IMBER MICHAEL , DUKE DANIEL L.
Published: February 2008

There is no strong empirical confirmation for theoretical claims that high levels of teacher participation in school decision making would improve schools. This inconsistency between theory and observation impedes the formation of well‐justified policies concerning the role of teachers in school governance. In order to resolve this inconsistency, researchers will require a common framework for their efforts. The framework presented in this essay includes an analysis of the concept of “teacher participation in school decision making” a set of empirically‐based hypotheses concerning the current scope and extent of teacher participation, and an outline of a program of research which has the potential to provide information for policy develoment.
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PRINCIPALS AND MEMBERS OF SCHOOL COUNCILS: AN ATTITUDE SCALE
Authors: CHAPMAN JUDITH D.
Published: February 2008

This paper reports on the design of an attitude scale to be used in studies investigating relationships between principals and members of school councils in Victoria. The scale, which is composed of twenty‐four items, measures attitudes toward principal domination of council. The Likert method of scale construction was used. Item analysis demonstrated that all items discriminated between high and low scorers (Edwards t≥3.17). Internal consistency, estimated by using Kuder Richardson and Cronback's Alpha, yielded a coefficient of .80705. The corrected split‐half reliability based on the responses of 297 principals and council members was .72835. Test‐retest reliability was .69314.
THE ADMINISTRATION OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES AT THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
Authors: KEEGAN DESMOND J.
Published: February 2008

The Open University of the United Kingdom is acknowledged as one of the most successful distance education system yet designed. High among the reasons for its success is the student support service provided by the Regional Tutorial Services, a department of the Open University administrative structure which has received little acclaim. This paper shows how the Regional Tutorial Services copes with the problem of drop‐outs that has been a feature of many other distance systems and how it seeks to provide a valid educational experience for those enrolled. Three phases in the evolution of the present administrative system are analysed and various aspects of structure are discussed. Attention is drawn to developments in computer recording which may enable the Regional Tutorial Services to forecast possible drop‐outs and thus take a major step towards eliminating avoidable student withdrawal.
MANAGEMENT TEAM STRESSORS AND THEIR IMPACT ON ADMINISTRATORS' HEALTH
Authors: GMELCH WATER H. , SWENT BOYD
Published: February 2008

This research was exploratory in nature, conducted in the context of a field study. A questionnaire was developed through a series of iterations, one important component of which was the use of stress logs by a sample of administrators. The resultant instrument was completed by 1156 respondents from the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators (elementary and secondary principals, superintendents, assistant superintendents and central office staff). Twelve stressors are identified and discussed. Although there are differences in responses, all members of the management team are shown to share many common stressors, e.g. complying with rules, attending meetings, completing reports on time.
ON TEACHING EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
Authors: MULFORD BILL
Published: February 2008

This article sets down some thoughts on the teaching of educational administration. It delves briefly into three interrelated aspects which need to be considered by teachers of the subject: the learners and their stages of individual development, their tendency towards dependence, and their needs to master and belong; the setting, particularly such factors as assessment, the inclusion of students from different organizations, and group teaching; the content, specifically how different learning objectives might be met by different teaching approaches and whether reality is a unidimensional concept or always the most efficient approach in learning situations. It is concluded that only when we expect of ourselves what we expect of our students, that is, that performance comes to depend not only on intuitive skill or ‘art’ but also on explainable techniques and procedures, that we will transform a craft into a profession.
PITY THE POOR PROFESSOR OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION: THE PUZZLEMENTS OF KNOWLEDGE AND OF PRACTICE
Authors: BURLINGAME MARTIN
Published: February 2008

Professors of educational administration are being pressed to hold one of three conflicting positions about knowledge and practice. Using Rein's notion of stories, professors are uged to debate these viewpoints among themselves but use stories to study practitioners. Stories are necessary because of the conflicted nature of American education.
THE “AUSTRALIAN” O.C.D.Q.: A DECADE LATER
Authors: BRADY LAURIE
Published: February 2008

In an article titled “The O.C.D.Q.: A Four Factor Solution for Australian Schools?” in an earlier volume of this journal, Thomas and Slater reported a study conducted in 72 primary schools in South Australia in 1970. They identified four factors, rather than the eight identified by the American designers of this prolifically and internationally used test of school organizational climate. The current article reports on a similar study in N.S.W. primary schools over a decade later, and concludes that the “Australian” O.C.D.Q. is “holding” its four factor structure.
THE EFFECT OF PRINCIPALS ON THE INSTRUCTIONAL PERFORMANCE OF SCHOOLS
Authors: OGAWA RODNEY T. , WEAVER HART ANN
Published: February 2008

A sample of elementary schools and a sample of high schools were employed in a replication of a study conducted on corporations to determine the influence exerted by principals on the instructional performance of schools. An analysis of the components of variation was conducted to estimate principals' effects while controlling for environmental and organizational factors. It was found that principals exert a small but important influence on school performance, as measured by standardized achievement tests.
BARKER'S BEHAVIOR SETTING THEORY: A USEFUL CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR RESEARCH ON EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
Authors: EKLUND S.J. , SCOTT M.M.
Published: February 2008

Research in educational administration is in need of a general theoretical perspective which could be used to guide the development of an empirical base for a comprehensive, ecologically valid, theory of administration. This paper presents a description of Roger Barker's Behavior Setting Theory and attempts to argue its utility as a broad‐based conceptual framework for research on educational administration.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHER DECISIONAL STATUS AND LOYALTY
Authors: STYLES JOHNSTON GLADYS , GERMINARIO VITO
Published: February 2008

The purposes of this study were (1) to examine the characteristics of teacher involvement in the decision making process in schools; (2) to examine the degree of loyalty to principals in schools; (3) to test the relationship between teacher decisional status and loyalty to the principal; and (4) to explore the dynamics of teacher decision‐making so that a better understanding of the underlying structure of decision‐making in schools can be developed. Data were collected at regularly scheduled faculty meetings in ten elementary and five secondary schools in New Jersey. In general, analysis of variance was utilized as the basis of statistical analysis. Further, a factor analysis was performed in an attempt to understand the underlying structure of the data. Four major conclusions were drawn from the study: (1) Teacher satisfaction with their decisional status was related to loyalty to the principal; (2) no significant differences were found between elementary and secondary schools with regard to satisfaction with their decisional status; (3) elementary school teachers exhibited a greater degree of loyalty to their principals than did teachers in secondary schools; and (4) teachers' desires to participate in decision‐making are strongest in those areas that are closely related to the teaching‐learning process.
“QUIS CUSTODIET IPSOS CUSTODES?”: ALL CURRICULUM POLICY MAKERS POTENTIALLY WEAR BLACK HATS
Authors: SMITHSON ALAN
Published: February 2008

In the Summer 1981 edition of The Journal of Educational Administration James D. Kaminsky published a philosophical analysis of the celebrated “Freedom and Authority Memorandum” delivered to South Australian public schools in the early 1970s by the then Director‐General of Education, A. W. Jones. In a later edition of the J.E.A. (Winter 1983) Smithson took issue with Kaminsky on several aspects of his analysis. A rejoinder from Kaminsky accompanied Smithson's paper. In this article (which closes off the debate) Smithson seeks to clarify some of the issues debated and, in particular, his own position.
PUPILS, POWER AND THE ORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOLS
Authors: ANGUS LAWRENCE
Published: February 2008

The collective interaction of disaffected pupils is often described as a counter‐school subculture or as an informal organization within the school. This paper reports the findings of an Australian ethnography which indicate that such pupils are able not only to assert their own autonomy and to circumvent the institutional axis in which they operate, but are also able to influence what is perceived to be the formal structure of the school.
TIMETABLE ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS
Authors: ELLEM GEOFF
Published: February 2008

The school timetable is a powerful administrative tool. Ideally it should operationalise the aims and objectives of the school by providing an appropriate structural dimension to the curriculum. Stark reality may prevent this ideal relationship from being achieved. Another function served by the school timetable is its allocative role. It performs the important task of allocating a large proportion of the school's resources. The resources of teacher‐time, pupil‐time and room‐space have their use controlled directly by the timetable. The material resources of equipment and supplies, which are largely related to subjects taught, are indirectly controlled. Timetable analysis can therefore serve two purposes. It can reveal the reality of a school's curriculum organization. This reality may be intentional or unintentional. Secondly, it can show where a school allocates its resources, in particular the important ones of teacher‐time and room‐space. Information in these areas should enable school administrators to make better decisions on the school's educational programme and on resource allocation practices to achieve desired aims and objectives. This paper reports part of a study which used timetable analysis for these purposes. It shows the type of information which can be obtained by such analysis and argues that the quantitative and qualitative data provided can provide a more informed basis for decision making.
TEACHER MOTIVATION IN ALTERNATE PROMOTION STRUCTURES FOR NSW HIGH SCHOOLS
Authors: TELFER ROSS , SWANN TREVOR
Published: February 2008

The Content Theories of Motivation — those of Maslow, Herzberg and Alderfer — yielded four criteria by which alternate promotion structures in N.S.W. High Schools could be evaluated. The four criteria are the extent to which the promotion structure: 1. Acts as a source of intrinsic motivation; 2. Is a source of job enrichment; 3. Allows for and encourages participative management; and 4. Offers non‐administrative career paths. The four criteria were used to evaluate the existing promotion structure in N.S.W. High Schools, the structure proposed in A Discussion Paper, the proposal of the N.S.W. Institute of Inspectors, and the promotion structure policies of the N.S.W. Teachers Federation. It was concluded that the existing promotion structure failed to satisfy any of the criteria. The proposal contained in A Discussion Paper advocated measures to meet all of the criteria except non‐administrative career paths, yet did not incorporate practical means of achieving such objectives. The policies of the N.S.W. Teachers Federation cannot be fully appraised until they are formulated into a concrete proposal. The proposal of the Institute of Inspectors went closest towards satisfying all criteria except that of participative management.