Schools Form the Backbones of the Educational Systems - Essay Example

Introduction Schools form the backbones of the educational system and the quality of teaching and management undertaken at the school level determines the quality of employees that enter the workforce later on. It is at the school level that the foundation of a life-long learning process is laid and where future aspirations and achievements of the students are carved. Understanding the importance of schools to our society is not only common sense, it is of great importance. The government and society must pay careful attention to the quality of management at schools. This is, however, a debated issue. What comprises quality schools? Is it the curriculum? Is it the quality of the professional teachers or principal that comprise the faculty? Is it the methodology of teaching used, the inclusion of sports programs or the spiritual and moral development of the students? Few educators have reviewed the evidence from research that has contributed to the development of the best schools and that bring forth a supply of open minded, healthy and enthusiastic people into the society. However, a look at the inspection results recently released by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai, most schools are not managed well, at least not in terms of productive teaching and student outcomes. In a survey conducted by KHDA, about 10% of the schools in Dubai are running well with a satisfactory level of teaching, learning, and management (Sambidge, 2009). This is a grievous situation and therefore important that research be conducted in order to explore the reasons for such a condition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Research Objectives 1. How are decisions made in UAE schools? This research question aims to find how decisions related to the curriculum, teaching methods, classroom scheduling, discipline policy, introduction of new courses or subjects are made in UAE schools. . The question seeks to understand how the decision making role of the school management, school principal, teachers, students, and student’s families interface. The data will clarify whether and how participative decision is being used in schools. 2. What is the effect of participatory decision making on academic planning, teacher morale and job satisfaction? This study will determine whether participation of the teachers in the decision making process has lead to the development of a better curriculum, better methodology, or better overall quality of teaching so that the students are able to experience higher achievement. The study will elaborate the impact of participative decision making on morale and satisfaction among teachers, motivation towards teaching and commitment to their jobs. 3. What are the constraints in implementing participatory decision making in school and solutions used by principals. This final research question directs attention to the challenges to teacher participation in decision making. It will explore the sociological, legal, cultural, and psychological factors that influence teacher participation in decision making. Significance of the Study This study makes a significant contribution to the scarce available literature on the benefits of participative decision making in the UAE schools. With the stated aims of the research, it is expected that the research results will shed light on the varied contextual factors that impact teacher participation and lead to recommendations implementation. Literature Review The literature review will contain a survey of the available data on the topics related to school management and decision making, the role of participatory decision making on educational policy improvement and implementation and the current status of decision making that is practiced in the schools of United Arab Emirates. School Management and Decision Making Traditionally, the administrative, management and decision making processes related to school were considered to be the prerogative of the school management alone from which the school teachers, parents and other community members were strictly excluded (Kumar and Scuderi, 2000). This approach is used throughout the world and was considered to be suitable prior to the research on effective schools (citation needed here). For example, a nation-wide survey of teachers conducted by the National Center for Educational Statistics, USA, found that only 39% of all the teachers who participated in the survey were involved in decision making regarding curriculum development and discipline (Nelson, 1994). Similarly, another survey conducted by the School Board of Broward County (1999) USA, again found that teachers had little say in the curriculum development, student personality development or student safety related issues. The above findings validate the fact that schools across the world are in need of better teachers who have the freedom and ability to teach their students. One such reform was initiated in North America as a concept of professional development schools where the teachers were made active partners with the management in decision making (Gardner and Libde, 1995). This greatly altered the traditional school structure that positioned administrative officials as the standard bearers of direction within the scholastic environment; instead, the more democratic circumstances created an environment of increased creativity and overall efficiency. In the case of the UAE, the educational system is highly bureaucratic and controlled by the government’s policy objectives (Gardner and Libde, 1995). While the government of the UAE has initiated several educational reforms (Gardner and Libde, 1995), these again are based on the understanding of the top officials who may have little understanding of the actual pedagogic issues and needs of the students (Gardner and Libde, 1995). This is because most of the prominent and higher jobs in the education sector are acquired by male leaders who have a lack of formal training or who may never have attended an educator preparation program similar to those from that many females in education have graduated . Male educators often become teachers only when other avenues fail them, and not because they want to become a teacher. High level male leaders in the education agencies often find themselves in these roles as stepping stones to higher leadership positions in the country; the Ministry of Education has not been filled by a well-prepared educator for some time. Another problem is that the teachers, especially male teachers, spend a lot of their time augmenting their school salaries with private tuitions to students. This further renders them unable to concentrate on their actual jobs and attend to the needs of the students. Thus, these teachers are less inclined or motivated to take on more responsibilities in the school and to participate in the decision making process. For the female teachers, though they are well-trained and educated to be able to contribute to the school management, there may be restrictions of time that they can devote to their jobs. In most cases, the female member of a family is still burdened with the household responsibilities and she has to continuously strive to balance her energies between job and home. This may be a reason why female teachers may be reluctant to ask for or take in more responsibilities. Indeed, there is a substantial body of literature that is concerned with the interplay of familial concerns and the career concerns of the teacher. Many such investigations, such as Gali (2003) and Rich (2005), identify the disparities in administrative positions based on gender lines. Findings and Discussion Findings and Discussions A: Teachers Findings From the Close Ended Questionnaire The following section covers the findings from the survey of 34 teachers from the 4 schools that were selected for the survey. These findings and the discussion are based on the likert-type scale responses collected on the multiple choice questionnaire. The responses are graphed and interpreted to provide a comprehensive and picture of the attitude of the respondents toward participatory decision making in schools. The following graphs in fig A,B,C,D,E and fig F illustrate this point vividly. The following figures list the responses of the teachers from the girls and the boys school separately although it was not the intention of the research to conduct a comparative study between the two types of schools, the findings showed certain trends and certain peculiar dissimilarities that made the presentation of the data in the above form necessary. Question 1: Participatory decision making could significantly improve academic outcomes as well as skills of the students and Question 2: Participatory decision making is important for the development of the school Fig A Teacher’s responses from the boys and girls’ schools for Q1 and Q2 The survey of the teachers revealed that a majority of them [95% for girls and 79% for boys] were inclined to agree with the statement that ‘Participatory decision making could significantly improve academic outcomes as well as skills of the students’. Similarly, a majority [65% for girls and 86% for boys] of the teachers also stated that they agreed that teacher participation in school management was essential for the development of the school. However, the respondents from the girl’s schools were more strongly in agreement [95% marked agree for question1] than were the respondents from the boys school [only 79% of them agreed with the statement in question1]. This difference is also seen in other responses throughout, and the probable causes of it cannot be attributed to the teachers belonging to any one school as the teachers from both the boys school marked similarly and the teachers from both the girls school marked similar to each other. This could indicate that the difference in responses may be attributed to the gender differences as most of the teachers from the girls schools are females and the teachers from boys schools are males. While the reasons why gender contributes or how it contributes to the differences is beyond the scope of the present study, it can be presumed, solely based on the trends in the findings, that the female teachers tend to be more open about their feelings and opinions and that they may even be more desirous of change than their male counterparts. It may also be a reflection of the fact that men do not have an interest or time because of the other work they do outside of schools as well as due to their lack of preparation as educators, they do not feel inclined to get involved more. Question 3: I am happy about the level of teacher involvement in decision making in the present school. Fig A Teacher’s responses from the boys and girls’ schools for Q3 Please collapse the SA and A, SD and D to make the graph more readable. This was a sensitive question as it required the respondent to commit a personal response on what he or she specifically thinks about the situation in his or her school. Most of the respondents stated that they were happy with the level of teacher involvement allowed in their schools [93% in boys’ school and 75% in girls’]. These responses may be the result of caution and hence must be treated with some discretion. However, this is one of the two statements [the other being question 4] in the entire survey that brought some answers in the form of negative or a disagreement with the statement. 4 teachers from the girls’ school and 1 from the boy’s school stated that they were not happy with the teacher participation opportunities in their schools. But here again it can be seen that the more of the female teachers were forthcoming with open answers. The reasons could again be attributed to the female teachers being more trained and prepared as teachers as well as the male teachers having less time or interest for their teaching jobs. Question 4: There are no gender issues in the involvement of teachers in decision making process. Fig A Teacher’s responses from the boys and girls’ schools for Q4 This is another statement, related to the issue of gender that has received a disagreement from at least one of the 34 respondents. The statement requested opinion about whether teacher participation is influenced or restricted by the gender of the teacher. Almost all of the respondents felt that there were no gender issues while involving the teachers. However, these findings could be the result of the fact that the teachers’ genders were segregated in the two types of schools, thus excluding the scope of any direct discrimination from the school management’s side in terms of gender. However, this question is of significance as it was essential to explore whether the participation of teachers [who are female in the girl’s school ] is greater than in the boy’s school [who are all males] or vice versa. If a difference was detected, it could be attributed to how the policy makers or the educators who make decisions regarding teacher involvement view the competence level based on gender. Nevertheless there were no differences found, and hence it can be concluded that decision making competency is not considered to be influenced by gender, at least in the case of the schools that were surveyed. Question 5: I feel that implementation of decisions would be more easy if teachers are involved in decision making Please make separate graphs for each question and separate boys school data from girls school data. and Question 6: Teachers will be motivated to implement decisions when they are also included in decision making. Fig A Teacher’s responses from the boys and girls’ schools for Q5 and Q6 The majority of the respondents [97%] believed that the implementation of decisions is facilitated by involving the teachers in decision making. The reason for this understanding is elaborated in the responses to the next question which asked if the teacher’s motivation to implement decision was greater when they had participated in the making of the decisions. However, the response to this statement is not as straightforward as strong agreement or agreement. Instead, half of 14 teachers from the boys’ schools and 2 out of 2o girls’ school teachers said they were neutral or had no opinion on this statement. While there seems to be a greater agreement at the girl’s school that participation in decision making improves teacher’s motivation to implement, this was not the case in the boy’s school. The reason for this difference could be explained in terms of the fact that girl’s school teacher, may be more open than their male counterparts in expressing their opinions. It may also be presumed that the work environment of the boys and the girls’ school may be different, and there may be more restrictions or fears in the boy’s school. However, the fact remains that overall a large number of respondents did relate participation with motivation to implement, and thus provided evidence for the current research aspirations. Questions 7: The decisions taken without involving teachers will not contribute to school development and Question 8: Teachers know the needs of the students better than anybody else Fig A Teacher’s responses from the boys and girls’ schools for Q7 and Q8 Almost all the respondents [100% in the boys school teachers and 95% in the girls school teachers] agreed that ‘the decisions made without involving teachers will not contribute to school development’. The reason for why these decisions may not be effective is highlighted by way of the next statement, ‘Teachers know the needs of the students better than anybody else’, and again, almost all of the respondents [100% boys’ school teachers and 85% girl’s school teachers] fell in agreement with it. This finding again illustrates that it is essential to have teacher participation in decision making as teachers are closely associated with not only the students but also with the day to day working of the school and have insights and perspectives that are not available to people sitting in the management positions alone. Question 9: I would like to work in school where the management gives freedom of decision making Fig A Teacher’s responses from the boys and girls’ schools for Q9 The last statement on the survey requested personal opinion ‘if the teachers would like to work in school where the management gives freedom of decision making’, and its responses overwhelmingly suggest that the teachers want more freedom and participation in decision making. The above findings show that while the teachers understand the need and the reasons for participative decision making, they are not inclined to express dissatisfaction with the existing conditions in their respective schools. They are a little cool toward embracing the way things are, particularly in the girls school. The teachers’ survey also established that participation in decision making encourages and motivates the teachers to implement the decisions as the teachers feel that they know what is best needed for their students and schools. Findings and Discussions B: Interview of Teachers and Administrators This section contains the findings from the interviews of the school management in the 4 schools and 6 more teachers selected from the same schools. These 6 teachers are different from those who participated in the above multiple-choice survey. 1. Respondents Level of Understanding of Participatory Decision-Making The teachers provided several opinions on what participatory decision making means. According to 4 of the respondents [all female], it leads to the development of several options and solutions to problems and therefore brings out more alternatives and improves the quality of final selection of choice. According to another male teacher and 2 female teachers, participatory decision making is the process of involving teachers into decisions that relate to issues of their own jobs. Another opinion about participatory decision making given by a male teacher was that that it involves building large committees that make decisions. It can be seen from the above responses that the female teachers expressed more knowledge about the benefits of participatory decision making as educators and managers – by stating that it will bring out more alternatives and better decisions. On the other hand, the male teachers were more interested in the personal benefits of participation – like they will get a chance to get involved in decisions related to their own jobs and personal affairs. These findings reflect the findings identified in the literature review (Gardner and Libde, 1995 & Gali 2003) that indicated a gender difference, with women generally having more extensive training and men being more concerned with advancing into upper level leadership roles. Among the administrative staff interviews, it was seen that most of the respondents did not really conceptualize participatory decision making or define it in any way. One respondent stated that it was the responsibility of everyone to participate in decision making, from the teacher to the Director of Education. Another opinion about participatory decision making was put forward as teacher involvement in text-book changes and in student matters, while one of the respondents stated that decision making means putting thoughts and opinions in a logical manner and taking a positive approach. Two of the administrators in the boy’s school did not venture to even say anything on this particular question, while only one of the administrators, from a girls’ school, stated that participatory decision making leads to successful implementation of the decisions. In regards to the responses by administrators regarding participatory decision making, one must question if the lack of understanding of the process is truly indicative of a misunderstanding, or simply the unwillingness to share in the creative and collaborative process with the teaching faculty. In these regards, further qualitative research is necessary to determine the extent that such misunderstandings are reflective of a deficiency in the educational system as to compared to the participatory structure described by Gardner and Libde, (1995). Ultimately, it can be seen from the above responses that teachers understand participatory decision making as a process for improving the quality of decisions and also about empowering the teachers to conduct their jobs better. However, most of the administrators did not show an understanding of the concept, which could be due to their lack of interest in the issue rather than their lack of understanding. 2. Understanding of Areas for Teacher Participation in Decision Making The following areas or scope of participatory decision making was provided by the interviewed teachers: School-related issues Teaching Methods Curriculum development All matters concerning the students Procedural Issues School Rules, documents and Procedures Examination Scheduling Decision Related to Outside extra-curricular activities Distribution of students among the classes Long-term Development Goals Creating vision and mission for the school Change Process Strategy and Plan Development for the school Among the administrative interviews, the following were obtained: Overall Strategic Plan for the school Problem Solving The above findings reveal that both the administrators and the teachers understand the need for teacher participation in decision making. However, the respondents thought that there were secluded and isolated areas where teachers’ can assist in decision making – like in the curriculum development, teaching methods etc. None of the respondents stated that participation should be ad hoc or as and when needed process, but it should continue as a regular routine where teachers are involved throughout. Also, the answers like ‘teachers providing the vision or mission’ appear to be hyperbolic at the school level can you describe what you mean here. It is true that teachers can be involved when the educational department is planning for a future change and needs to revamp the school system so that their view is also incorporated. However, at the individual school level, teacher involvement in writing the rules and the documents may not be feasible or valid, as teachers may not really have the qualifications for the legal or the technical aspects of administration. Rules at the school are about creating a learner-centered environment that is safe and healthy. It is only minimally about legalities. Participatory decision making should be more encouraged in issues related to teaching and development of the students. The above interview question reveled that there was a need for enlightening and educating both the administrators and the teachers about the full scope and benefits of participatory decision making. It is only after a complete understanding of the concept is developed that the school can think of delegating and sharing decision making with the teachers. 1. Satisfaction with Current Level of Participation The interviewed school administrators were unanimous in stating their satisfaction with the current level of participation. However, they also felt that participation was not complete due to the reasons such as teacher’s not having the necessary competence or the dictates of the Ministry of Education requiring teachers to simply attend to teaching duties and not interfere in administrative functions. The administrator’s response could be understood in terms of their own insecurities about giving more honest answers or on their reluctance to accept the inadequate level of teacher participation in their own schools. However, the teachers showed a mixed response, stating satisfaction as well as dissatisfaction with their involvement. Any satisfaction expressed was simply based on the fact that in some schools teachers were allowed to voice their opinion, even though their opinions were not taken into consideration as all decisions were made at the top level alone. 2. Scope for Increasing Teacher Participation for Reforming the School System All the interviewed teachers stated that there is a necessity to increase participation as it will lead to better reforms; by being in direct contact with the students they should have a better view of what is needed and how it can be achieved. Also, according to one teacher, generative learning or new and creative ways of looking at things can only be achieved when diverse ideas are used and this is only possible through participatory decision making. Similarly, the administrative respondents too were of the opinion that teachers participation is expected to bring out more creative proposals and enrich the reform process. 3. Linkages Between Participatory Decision Making and Academic Outcomes Most of the respondents, including both the teachers and the administrators stated that academic outcomes can be improved if teachers are involved in the decision making process. This is because, firstly the teachers have first hand and practical knowledge about the learning process and how best to inspire or encourage students, and secondly,the teachers will feel responsible for the decisions and will cooperate among themselves to help the students. It can be seen from the responses that the linkages between participation and academic outcomes are not only direct – that the teachers may be able to suggest more suitable strategies, courses and teaching methods - but also indirect, in the way the teachers may themselves be encouraged to eagerly implement the decisions. This finding is further highlighted by the responses to the next question as presented below. 4. Linkages Between Participatory Decision Making and Implementation of Decisions As stated above, teachers who have participated in developing the decisions would feel responsible for their implementation. Not only it is their sense of responsibility that will work towards implementation, but also their experience and connectedness with the students that they can make use of in selling the reforms to the students and their families. Also, according to two of the teachers, participation leads to a sense of connectivity and camaraderie among the teachers themselves that will further encourage them to adopt a helpful stance towards each other and to make the students progress better. 5. Linkages Between Participatory Decision Making and Job Satisfaction and Motivation The respondents stated that being involved in the decision making process certainly gives a boost to self-esteem and the individual feels valued. This also adds to the sense of accomplishment as teachers feel their opinions are being used to get better results for their organizations. There is therefore a very clear and direct link between participation and job satisfaction for the teachers. 6. Benefits of Participatory Decision Making to the Individuals The respondents were of mixed opinion here as they felt that there was too little teacher participation at the moment to enable them to judge the individual benefits. But, most of the teachers hypothesized, as seen in the previous response, that participation would give them added motivation and job satisfaction. Conclusions The research was conducted using both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection so as to provide both a wider scope as well as exploratory understanding of the issue of participatory decision making in UAE schools. The research findings indicate that participatory decision making is still in its rudimentary stages at the surveyed schools in Abu Dhabi. It was also found that there is a limited understanding of how teacher participation is to be encouraged and the benefits of the same for the school. Most of the respondents included in the research surveys and interviews expressed their opinion about teacher participation in an isolated manner, stating that teachers need to be involved in one aspect or the other like rules and discipline or curriculum development or classroom scheduling, but not included in overall decision making issues. There is therefore need to educate the teachers and the administration about the real issues involved in participatory decision making and in the management of the process. There is evidence of an eagerness among the teachers about increasing their contribution towards the betterment of their schools. Most of the teachers who participated in this research found the idea of making substantial contributions to the school in terms of providing input to strategy and vision improvement of teaching methods and curriculum, policy and input related to discipline and extracurricular related decisions etc. highly welcoming. The research established that the teachers think that if they are involved in the decision making, there will be gains in terms of both academic outcomes as well as better implementation of the reform innovations. Past studies (Gardner and Libde, 1995) have also demonstrated the efficacy of such a structure. Also, the teachers expected that their morale and motivation and job satisfaction will be improved if they participate in decision making as that will make them feel valued and improve their loyalty and commitment. Additionally, teachers thought that they were in the best position to observe and perceive what is best for the students their opinion should be a part of the decision making process. . Also, by way of their close and practical association with the students, the teachers find themselves in a unique position to enlist the support of the students and their families in implementing the reforms and their closeness to the development of the decisions will enhance the implementation. The research also found some interesting differences in the attitudes and beliefs of the teachers from the girls and the boys schools. It is noted that the girls’ school teachers were more open and vocal with their opinion on the participation in decision making and their eagerness to get more involved. This could be because, as seen in the literature review (Klein, 1999), most of the female teachers are well trained and qualified for the teaching jobs and the males have taken up teaching only as a last career recourse and may not really be committed to the role. However, there were no differences found across the teachers from the two schools on the basis of their participation in decision making, both were equally under involved in the decisions related to the schools. This finding indicates that there could not be gender related issues that may be hindering the decision making. However, there appears a reluctance on the part of the school administration to include the teachers into the decision making process. This reluctance is largely based on the cultural upbringing that gives rise to a bureaucratic way of doing things where commands and decisions are handed down. However, the school administrators may be bound by the policies and visions of the Ministry of Education. References Rich, Y. ‘Work Family Conflict Within the Family: Crossover Effects, Perceived Parent Child Interaction Quality, Parental Self-Efficacy, and Life Role Attributions’ Journal of Career Development. September 1, 2005 34: 79-100 Gali R.G..Work-family conflict among female teachers (2003) Teaching and Teacher Education, 21 (4), pp. 365-378. Read More