Changing organizational culture and instructional methods in elementary schools: Perceptions of teachers and professional educational consultants |
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| Authors: | Hanna Shachar Suss Gavin and Sharan Shlomo |
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| Institution: | (1) School of Education, Bar Ilan University, 52900 Ramat Gan, Israel;(2) School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel |
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| Abstract: | The present study examines teachers’ perceptions of organizational changes in their elementary schools. These changes occurred
following the implementation of a long-term comprehensive school improvement project (CSIP). One hundred and seventy one teachers
who taught in six elementary schools located in two different school districts in Israel responded to a questionnaire both
before and after a period of 3 years during which they participated in a CSIP. The teachers, assisted by six professional
consultants, one in each school, studied cooperative learning as well as new forms of collaborative staff work. The study
addressed two primary research questions: What changes in teachers’ perceptions of their schools’ organizational culture emerged
from teachers’ participation in the project? How were the professional relationships between the schools’ supervisors and
the teachers in the two districts reflected in the teachers’ perception of school organizational changes? Results indicated
that teachers in three schools from one district recorded a significant improvement in their perceptions of their schools’
organizational culture at the end of the project, whereas the teachers from the other district indicated either no change,
or a significant decline in their evaluation of their schools’ organizational culture. A cross-validation of the teachers’
data was performed through a content analysis of 500 reports written over the course of 2 years, submitted by six external
consultants. The analysis yielded four categories: general difficulties to work with the school’s staff, problems implementing
the project, teacher resistance, and cancellations of planned meetings. The analysis provided valuable information as to why
the teachers from the two districts differed in their reactions to the project. |
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