ED418962 - The Development, Maintenance and Transformation of School Culture.
Full text article at:http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=Home_page
Title:
The Development, Maintenance and Transformation of School Culture.
Authors:
Cavanagh, Robert F.; Dellar, Graham B.
Abstract:
This paper describes a study that investigated Western Australian senior high schools' cultures. Researchers developed the School Cultural Elements Questionnaire to examine six aspects of school culture: professional values, emphasis on learning, collegiality, collaboration, shared planning, and transformational leadership. A group of 422 teachers in 8 schools completed the instrument. Also, teachers in two of the schools completed interviews designed to confirm the survey data. Researchers used the original theoretical framework and the study findings to develop the School Improvement Model of School Culture. This paper applies the model in an examination of the nature of school culture, school improvement, and educational systems change. Discussion of these matters is based on a set of propositional statements concerning: internal and external influences on cultural stability; school subcultures; school improvement and cultural growth; cultural inertia; traditional school improvement programs; cultural stimulation; systemic school improvement; and school improvement by cultural intervention. (Contains 24 references.) (SM)