Principals' Collective Efficacy Beliefs and Teachers' Perceived Opportunities for Involvement in Decision Making

ABSTRACT

PRINCIPALS’ COLLECTIVE EFFICACY BELIEFS AND TEACHERS’ PERCEIVED OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVOLVEMENT IN DECISION MAKING

WEELDREYER, Ilon B.
The University of Virginia, May 2014

Chair: James P. Esposito
The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which principals’ beliefs (collective efficacy beliefs) about teachers contributes to the variability in teachers’ perceived opportunities for involvement in decision making over and above that explained by school size, principal’s years of experience, and teachers’ years of experience. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, answers to the following research questions were sought:
1. To what extent do principals’ total collective efficacy beliefs account for variability in teachers’ opportunities for involvement in decision making over and above that explained by school size, principal’s years of experience, and teachers’ years of experience?
2. To what extent does group competence account for variability in teachers’ opportunities for involvement in decision making over and above that explained by school size, principal’s years of experience, and teachers’ years of experience?
3. To what extent does task analysis account for variability in teachers’ opportunities for involvement in decision making over and above that explained by school size, principal’s years of experience, and teachers’ years of experience?
This was a descriptive-correlational study. Data was collected from 23 elementary schools in three contiguous districts of a Midwestern state. Quantitative data was collected using survey methodology. The independent variables of interest, principal’s total collective efficacy beliefs about teachers and its constructs of group competence and task analysis, were measured using the Goddard Collective Efficacy Scale Short Form. The principal survey also collected data for the independent control variables of school size and principal’s years of experience. The dependent variable, teachers’ perceived opportunities for involvement in decision making, was measured by the Russell Teacher Involvement and Participation Scale. The teacher survey also collected data for the independent control variable of teachers’ years of experience.
In order to answer the research questions, hierarchical multiple regression was used. The findings of the study suggested that principal’s collective efficacy beliefs accounted for variability in teachers’ perceived opportunities for involvement in decision making over and above that explained by school size, principal’s years of experience, and teachers’ years of experience. Overall collective efficacy beliefs accounted for the greatest amount of variability and had a statistical significance of p = .01. The construct of task analysis accounted for less variability and had a statistical significance of p = .06. The construct of group competence accounted for the least amount of variability and had a statistical significance of p = .14.
The findings of the study suggest that the direction of the relationship between principals’ collective efficacy beliefs and teachers’ perceived opportunities for involvement in decision making is a negative one. This is contrary to the study’s conceptual framework. Future research may provide better understanding of this relationship before implications for practitioners are given.