Purpose: The purpose of this research is twofold: to test a theory of academic optimism in Taiwan elementary schools and to expand the theory by adding new variables, collective responsibility and enabling school structure, to the model. Design/methodology/approach: Structural equation modeling was used to test, refine, and expand an…

Purpose: The aim of this study was two-fold: to demonstrate a general construct of schools called academic optimism and to show it was related to student achievement in urban elementary schools, even controlling for socioeconomic factors, and school size. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 99 urban elementary schools in Texas…

Purpose: Public schools in the USA face increased pressures for more accountability and improved performance. The objective of this study was to wed two previously separated theoretical strands of educational research--economic theory and organizational theory--by using variables from each theory base to develop, compare, and test a series of…

Beginning teachers' experience in the school organization is related to increased bureaucratic orientation and decreased professional orientation. (Author)

The characteristics of principal behavior accounting for the greatest explanation of teacher loyalty are thrust, consideration, initiating structure, and nonauthoritarianism; however, somewhat contrasting profiles emerge in predicting teacher loyalty in elementary and secondary schools. (Author/I RT)

Using surveys of the professional staffs of 41 secondary schools, this study examines the relationship between two aspects of bureaucratic structure (centralization and formalization) and two sorts of alienation (from work and expressive relations). It then compares the results with similar studies of social studies of social welfare agencies. (JW)

This study examined teachers' sense of powerlessness within two distinctive school organizational structures. Definite patterns of teacher sense of powerlessness were uncovered within Authoritarian and Collegial school structures. In addition, a majority of teachers in Authoritarian schools experienced a greater sense of powerlessness than did…

A validity study of the OCD Questionnaire instrument for assessing organizational climate in the schools concludes that (1) the prototypic profile is not useful, and (2) subtests of the OCDQ tap and measure important aspects of the organizational climate of secondary schools. (Author)

Explores the usefulness of the "Contingency Model" of leadership effectiveness -- effectiveness of a group is contingent upon the relationship between leadership style and the degree to which the situation enables the leader to exert his influence. (Author)

This research investigates the leadership behavior of principals and the personal characteristics of teachers as both are related to elementary teachers' professional zone of acceptance. Data from 46 elementary schools support the hypothesis that a principal's leadership style combining both structure and consideration encourages cooperation by…

Involving subordinates in decisions may improve decision quality and acceptance when participation fits situational constraints. This article develops a participative decision-making theory that suggests which conditions favor subordinate (teacher) involvement and describes the administrator's appropriate role, which also depends on the situation.…

There is no single best decision-making approach. This article reviews and compares six contemporary models (classical, administrative, incremental, mixed-scanning, garbage-can, and political) and develops a framework and 10 propositions to match strategies with circumstances. A contingency approach suggests that administrators use satisficing (a…

Conceptualizes and develops the OCDQ-RM, a measure of middle schools' organizational climate. Generates a typology of school climates based on openness and tests the relationship between openness and authenticity in teacher and principal behavior. Finds that openness in the school climate is related to authenticity in both teacher and principal…

An open social systems model is used to frame and test a series of hypotheses. The socioeconomic status of the environment and four internal system elements (structure, individual, culture, politics) of the school are used to explain two sets of school outcomes: student achievement and teachers' assessments of overall school effectiveness. A…

The construct of enabling school structure is empirically analyzed in this qualitative study of high schools. First, the theoretical underpinning of enabling school structure is developed. Then, six high schools, which were determined to have enabling structures in a large quantitative study of Ohio schools, were analyzed in depth using…