Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education
Advisor
Susan A. Torbenson
Committee Member
Allen Eury
Committee Member
Ronald P. Kern
Keywords
analysis of variance, Bangkok, chi-square tests, cross-sectional survey, data collection, decision-making, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, international schools, job satisfaction, participative decision-making, participative leadership, private schools, quantitative research, school administrators, school leadership, schoolteachers, statistical software, teacher attrition, teacher dissatisfaction, teacher job satisfaction, teacher participation, teacher retention, teacher surveys, teacher turnover, Thailand
Abstract
With the astronomical rates of teacher turnover caused mainly by teacher dissatisfaction, school administrators are currently faced with the big challenge of retaining teachers. This problem is faced worldwide, and one of the main factors of teacher dissatisfaction is the lack of their participation in school decisions. The purpose of this study was to examine if a relationship existed between participative decision-making processes and teacher job satisfaction. A quantitative cross-sectional survey research design was used to examine two research questions: 1. To what degree is the practice of participative leadership perceived by schoolteachers in private schools in Bangkok, Thailand? 2. To what extent does participative leadership contribute to teacher job satisfaction in private schools in Bangkok, Thailand?
The participants of this study included 113 teachers from three private international schools in Bangkok, Thailand. The research study was conducted through the use of a data-collection instrument that consisted of three sections of 19 closed-ended items. This questionnaire was administered both electronically and on site.
Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed through the aid of statistical software, and hypotheses were established to answer the two research questions. The descriptive statistics that were used included the mean and frequency or mode, and the analysis of variance and chi-square tests were the inferential statistics used in the study. The results of the study showed a significant extent in the practice of participative leadership, as perceived by schoolteachers, and an extremely high level of importance placed on the relationship between the practice of participative leadership and teacher job satisfaction in private schools in Bangkok, Thailand.