Perceptions pertaining to actual and preferred participation of teachers in decision making in North Philippine Academies : a comparative study

Abstract

Shared decision making focusing on faculty involvement and participation in decision making at the local school Ievel, has been identified as an essential element in successful educational reform. The purpose guiding this study was to examine and compare the perceptions of school leaders and teachers regarding actual and preferred faculty participatron in decision making across nine dimensions of school governance. These dimensions were goals/vision/ mission, budgeting, staffing, operations standards curriculum/instruction, facilitating procedures and structures, staff development, and spiritual matters. Demographic information was gathered concerning the educators, age, gender, qualification, years of teaching experience, and years of service in same school.

Data were collected from school leaders and teachers working in 11 Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools in north Philippines. The total population was 175 fulltime educators. The overall response rate was 94%. Principal instrumentation used was the Teacher lnvolvement and participation Scale 2 (TIPS 2) developed by Russeil, Cooper, and Greenblatt (1992), with an additional spiritual matters scale by Masinda (1997).

Findings revealed tevels of faculty decision making preferred by teachers in all nine TIPS 2 dimensions were significantly greater than the levels they perceived currently existed. The larger discrepancies were perceived in the areas of staffing, budgeting, staff development, and operations. Similarly, the levels of faculty participation in decision making perceived by school leaders in all nine areas were significantly greater than the level they perceived faculty currenly enjoyed. School leaders perceived the larger discrepancies to be in the areas of staffing, budgeting, staff deveropment, and operations. Differences between perceptions of teachers and school leaders were not significant across all nine areas indicating similarity of perceptions.

The teachers and school leaders support the desirability of faculty pafticipation in decision making in schoors. Both groups agreed that faculty participation in decision making is important for school improvement, better school morale, increased job satisfaction, and increased professionalism. Commitment of teachers and frequent consultation were often cited to be significant factors that can enhance faculty participation in shared decision making. Both groups indicated domineering leadership and management style as the major consideration adversely affecting faculty participation in decision making, followed by poor relationships, insufficient resources, inadequate support, and mediocre communication. The data also revealed that educators who had 11-20 years of teaching experience were more actively involved than their peers in areas related to staff development and curriculum and instruction. Educators in schools operating under the conferences or missions were found to have greater autonomy in their schools over operation aspects than educators working in secondary schools operating under a tertiary institution.

Major recommendations include: (a) that school leaders initiate, implement, and facilitate greater participation of faculty in decision making at school; (b) that school leaders make self-assessment of their leadership style and provide nonthreatening conditions; (c) that training be done for both leaders and teachers in facilitation of the group process and decision-making skills; and (d) that school leaders seek ways to encourage and sustain greater faculty participation in those areas perceived to have the larger discrepancies between preference and practice.