Principals' Perceptions of Values and Value Conflicts in Decision-making Processes
Open Access
- Author:
- Smargiassi, Charles William
- Graduate Program:
- Educational Leadership
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- March 03, 2016
- Committee Members:
- Jacqueline A Stefkovich, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Jacqueline A Stefkovich, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Nona Ann Prestine, Committee Member
Dorothy H Evensen, Committee Member
Davin Jules Carr Chellman, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Values
Value Conflict
Principal
Decision-making
Educational Leadership - Abstract:
- The literature addressing values and value conflict in the principalship examines (1) the espoused or demonstrated values of administrators and their impact on decision making, (2) the process of discovering personal values and ethical codes and their application to decision making and (3) how administrators work through value conflict and ethical dilemmas that arise in their daily work. This body of work identifies value conflicts and ethical dilemmas as important and frequent occurrences in the day-to-day work of principals and has inspired many to call for explicit training for educational leaders in ethical decision-making, ethical codes and frameworks, and value and moral recognition. What remains unanswered is whether principals are cognizant of their values as underlying players in the day-to-day decisions they make and what impact values and value conflict have on the decision-making processes of principals in practice. The purpose of this study is to come to an understanding of this impact by addressing the following areas of inquiry: (1) the extent to which principals perceive awareness of their personal values and codes of ethics during decision-making processes, (2) the perceived impact of their personal values and codes on the decisions they make, and (3) how they perceive the resolution of the conflicts that arise when personal values conflict with those of the system, community or profession. This study identifies to what extent principals have wrestled with these concepts and argues that we might better prepare them through professional development or pre-service training to make decisions that are ethically sound and based on the best interests of the student.