The Influence of Small Schools High School Redesign on Teachers' Collective Efficacy Beliefs
Open Access
- Author:
- Meisinger, Amy Ann
- Graduate Program:
- Educational Leadership
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- March 03, 2009
- Committee Members:
- Nona Ann Prestine, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Nona Ann Prestine, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Preston C Green, Committee Member
William Hartman, Committee Member
Edgar Paul Yoder, Committee Member - Keywords:
- small schools
collective teacher efficacy
high school redesign - Abstract:
- This study investigated the effects of a widely advocated organizational reform for secondary schools, the small school model, on the collective efficacy beliefs of teachers. Using social cognitive theory, a theoretical model was developed linking the communal structure of the small schools model to the collective efficacy beliefs of teachers. The case study was conducted at a suburban high school in the northeastern United States which operated under a grade-level house system. Research was gathered through administration of a 21-item survey and extensive personal interviews. Initial survey data indicated a strong sense of collective efficacy beliefs which was confirmed through the interview process. Themes that emerged as contributing factors to the collective efficacy beliefs included: house design, professional learning communities (pods), leadership/planning, faculty disposition, advisory structure, physical plant/facility, community, and student body. Results indicated the small schools model is linked to high collective efficacy beliefs. The house system provided the initial structural framework for downsizing; however, it was the summative efforts of several factors that produced the collaborative culture and positive climate embodying the highly efficacious organization.