The Innovative School: Some Organizational Characteristics

Thomas, Alan R.

doi:10.1177/000494417301700201

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 9 publications

(4 reference statements)

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“…The studies of Helsel (1972) and Thomas (1973) cited earlier indicated the importance of a supportive principal in establishing a climate receptive to innovation. Phelps (1972) and Tye (1972) both assert that the principal, as a leader as well as an administrator, is a key figure in the area of educational change.…”

Section: Characteristics Of Innova Tlve Persons or Groupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…F~r example, a study by Helsel et al (1969) indicated that teachers perceIved strong and informed leadership from the principal as central to an organizational climate in which expectations of successful change were high. Thomas (1973) in a study of Australian schools found high principal supportiveness, high teacher intimacy, and low principal operations emphasis to be correlated with the innovativeness of a school. Hearn (1972, pp.…”

Section: Characteristics Of Educa Tlonal Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Barriers and Resistance to Innovation

Nisbet¹,

Collins²

1978

AJTE

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Section: Characteristics Of Innova Tlve Persons or Groupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Characteristics Of Educa Tlonal Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers and Resistance to Innovation

Nisbet¹,

Collins²

1978

AJTE

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“…(7) Teachers should encourage pupils to study and criticise our own and other economic systems and practices. (8) The traditional moral standards of our culture should not just be accepted; they should be examined and tested in solving the present problems of students. (9) Learning is experimental; the child should be taught to test alternatives before accepting them.…”

Section: Scale Of Educational Valuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Traditional Independent School Principal: Innovator or Inhibitor?

Smith¹

1989

Journal of Educational Administration

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Several writers have suggested that genuine involvement by the school principal is a crucial context variable influencing the level of innovation in a school[1,2,3,4,5]. Griffin[6], for example, suggests that the principal is responsible for establishing and maintaining the perception of the mission of the school, while McLaren proposes that "the general tone of the school and its staff is determined by the headmaster"[7] and Higham argues that "there can be no possibility of taking initiatives with which the head may disagree. The authority to initiate . . . must come from the head[2, p.118]. The belief, then, is that the principal acts as "an organiser of professional development, a facilitator to the faculty, and a negotiator of resources for the school . . . His personal style, level of activity, competence and relationships with faculty and community, all interact with his ideas . . . to make him a powerful determinant of what will happen[4, pp.28-9].If these views are correct, it may be inferred that the level of educational progressivism shown by the principal will convey to the staff the importance and priority that they are expected to place on the processes of staff development and school improvement. Australian studies by Thomas[8] and Mulford[9] found positive links between the supportiveness of principals and the innovativeness of primary schools and secondary schools respectively. Smyth supports this finding, arguing that the level of in-service sponsorship and support in a school will be substantially dependent upon the willingness of the principal to provide "(i) Stimulation of staff, that charismatic quality by means of which the vision of what is possible is expanded; (ii) Support, moral and material, of staff involvement in the planning, conduct and follow-through of school-based programmes; and (iii) Statesmanship in negotiating policy and changes in structure and practice with individuals, groups and the staff as a whole" [10].The suggestion seems to be that, unless teachers are confident of the genuine support of the principal, they will resist pressures to evaluate and, where necessary, modify their traditional modes of operation [ll,12,13]. Indeed, the SITE project found that even when the principal tried to remain neutral in order to observe and evaluate the progress of an innovation "staff predominantly construed the head's position not as indicating neutrality but as a positive indicator of lack of

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“…While significant contributions to the study of educa-Authors' addresses: Royston J. Lawson tional innovation have been made by Crane (1969) and Thomas (1973), there is a continuing need to examine, in the Australian context, the variables derived from overseas research. Research is especially needed to identify variables which can effectively describe and predict this orientation toward innovation and change.…”

Section: Victoria Australiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Professional Commitment and Change Orientation of Coordinators of Home Economics in High Schools in Victoria, Australia

Lawson¹,

Brun

1980

Home Economics Research Journal

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This research was undertaken to: 1) identify the professional commitment and change orientation of coordinators of home economics in Victoria, Australia, high schools; 2) in vestigate the relationship of professional commitment to change orientation; and 3) investigate the relationship of change orientation to selected background variables. Coordinators in this population exhibited a relatively high degree of professional commit ment and change orientation as measured respectively by the Loftis Measure of Professional Commitment and the Change Orientation Inventory for Home Economics. Coordinators who were more committed to the profession evidenced a greater degree of change orientation. Ex cept for age and membership in professional associations, the background variables did not significantly differentiate between less and more committed coordinators. While many coor dinators were receptive to innovation, they wanted to retain what they believed to be the essen tials of high school home economics curricula. Innovations in content and method were acceptable, and in some cases desirable, but only as adjuncts to the mainstream of the tradi tional aspects of the subject.

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The Innovative School: Some Organizational Characteristics

Cited by 4 publications

References 9 publications

Barriers and Resistance to Innovation

Barriers and Resistance to Innovation

The Traditional Independent School Principal: Innovator or Inhibitor?

Professional Commitment and Change Orientation of Coordinators of Home Economics in High Schools in Victoria, Australia

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