SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS’ OPINIONS REGARDING ADMINISTERING THE SCHOOL

Abstract

The school administrator is the person who is in charge or administration of the school. Revealing school administrators’ opinions regarding administering the school is significant since it makes it possible for us to understand how they administer the school. The purpose of this study was to reveal the opinions of school administrators working in Tokat province regarding administering the school. A qualitative design was used. Within this scope, 21 school administrators were directed seven open-ended questions, and the responses were analyzed. Most participants expressed that the administrators should make effort to create an organizational culture, and they had a vital role in this culture. It was observed that the participants weren’t satisfied with the authority they had, and found it insufficient. They pinpointed the strict hierarchical and bureaucratic structure of the educational system as the reason of insufficient authority. The interviewees didn’t take much initiative while using their authority. Instead, they used little initiative under the circumstances in which they believed that it wouldn’t harm them with a protective drive. Almost all of the interviewees expressed that they were under a tight control by the state and using authority would bounce back to them as a punishment. Although the participants stated that they used shared decision-making through meetings, it was inferred during the interviews that these meetings were conducted for the sake of formality and the decisions were made by only the administrators. The majority of participants implied that spending time with the personnel, creating social environment, and valuing their ideas and opinions were sufficient to ensure their job satisfaction. All of the participants indicated that they pursued their professional development through in-service training, seminars, and books about administration.

Article visualizations: