Administrators' perception concerning the auxiliary (janitorial) staff: The hidden heroes of education

Abstract

The present study examined administrators' views on the working status, contributions to the education process, performance status, and employment processes of the school auxiliary staff. The research was conducted in a holistic multiple‐case study design, one of the qualitative research methods. The study group consisted of 22 school administrators who work in various K12 school settings in the central districts of a city in Turkey and voluntarily participated in the study. A maximum diversity sampling strategy, one of the purposeful sampling techniques, was employed in sample selection. The study's data were obtained using a semistructured interview conducted by the researchers. An inductive content analysis technique was utilized to analyze the data, and the results were interpreted accordingly. The study's findings revealed that administrators felt that their role is a very insignificant position in the recruitment of auxiliaries, the auxiliary staff has direct and indirect contributions to the education process, and they cause some unfavorable circumstances in some cases. In addition, it was found that school administrators think that the auxiliary staff could be efficient when employed through temporary recruitment procedures and if they have an active role in their recruitment.