Dissertation
Adaptive leadership and non-rational decision making processes in high schools
Washington State University
Doctor of Education (EdD), Washington State University
05/2008
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000005669
Abstract
In the current era of school reform, school district personnel are looking for decision making processes that lead to a transformation of both beliefs and practices. The purpose of this dissertation, then, is to describe and explain data gathered in two high schools implementing reform. Collection of evidence took place in two high schools with similar demographics. Data were gathered through observations of teacher collaborative sessions as well as formal and informal interviews. This qualitative study developed understandings around the following research questions: What did the work of leadership by administrators and teachers look like when implementing reform? How did administrators and teachers respond to the challenges of reform to their beliefs, values, and practices? What were the difficulties and obstacles to leadership around the work of reform? Two theories, Heifetz's model of Adaptive Leadership and March's Garbage Can Theory of Decision Making, were used to analyze data and describe how administrators and teachers were transitioning to new standardized expectations. Findings include an integrated typology for leadership that incorporates rational and non- rational decision making processes as well as the risk and work avoidance behaviors associated with the difficulties of educational reform evident in these two high schools.
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Details
- Title
- Adaptive leadership and non-rational decision making processes in high schools
- Creators
- Sharon S. Becker
- Contributors
- Gordon S. Gates (Chair)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- College of Education
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Education (EdD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 154
- Identifiers
- 99901054531801842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation