JOURNAL OF NEW APPROACH IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
Year:2012 | Volume:3 | Issue:1 (9)|Papers Count:10

The aim of this research was to determine the relationship between organizational culture and ability perception of high school principals in Hamadan. The sample of this descriptive-correlational study included 92 respondents selected from a population of 113 principals through stratified sampling method. A use was made of two questionnaires, that is, Organizational Culture Questionnaire (comprising 35 items developed drawing on Robins’s view point) and the Standardized Ability Perception Questionnaire (including 20 items constructed based on Watten & Cameron’s model). Data were analyzed using inferential statistics including Pearson product-moment correlation, one-sample t-test, and F test. The findings of this study indicated that there was a statistically positive relationship between organizational culture and ability perception. This was the case with all organizational culture subscales except “attention to members” and “leadership style”.

This study aimed at exploring the relationship of work ethics to staffs’ job satisfaction and job stress. This descriptive (correlational) study sampled 216 respondents from among a total of 482 staffs working in Vocational and Technical Education Centers in Tehran city using cluster sampling strategy in accordance with Morgan’s table. Research instruments included three questionnaires of 1. work ethics, 2. job satisfaction (Robbins 1991), 3. job stress (Sotodeh, 2003). Data were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation and multiple regression analyses. The findings revealed that there was a statistically positive relationship between the staffs’ perception of the work ethics and their job satisfaction. However, the relationship between their perception and job stress was found to be statistically negative. Regression analyses further indicated that the three dimensions of work ethics (attachment, seriousness, and healthy relations) could predict job satisfaction. They also demonstrated that attachment and seriousness were significant predictors of job stress.

This field study compared the viewpoint of teachers of science, mathematics, Arabic and literature with respect to the use and priority of information and communication technology (ICT) skills to make middle school curriculum more effective. From among a total of 4010 teachers a sample of 350 respondents was randomly selected according to Morgan’s table. The final sample of participants with required characteristics included 117 teachers. The research instrument was a questionnaire developed by the current researchers drawing on the World Foundation ICDL. Its Cronbach’s Alpha reliability was estimated to be 0.93.8. In order to analyze data a use was made of both descriptive statistics and Kruskal-Wallis test. The results of the study indicated that using the seven ICT skills is effective in middle school curriculum. There was no significant difference among teachers’ viewpoint concerning four ICT skills of concepts of information and communication technology, using the computer and managing files, word processing, and web browsing and emailing. There was, however, a significant difference as regards the other three ICT skills. In respondents’ view, employing spreadsheets and databases in teaching mathematics and presentation software in teaching science had the highest priority over the other ICT skills.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between principals’ leadership style with teachers’ job satisfaction and mental health in Boukan. Research design was descriptive-correlational. From among 102 principals, 63 respondents (36 male and 27 female) and from among 2700 teachers, 338 teachers (189 male and 149 female) were selected from schools in Boukan through stratified random sampling. In order to collect data, a use was made of Luthan’s Leadership Style Questionnaire (Luthans, 1989), Job Descriptive Index (JDI) (Smith, Kendall & Hullin, 1969) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) (Goldberg and Hiller, 1970). Data analysis involved descriptive and inferential statistics such as Pearson’s correlation coefficient and MANOVA. The results showed that the principals’ humanistic leadership style had a significant positive relationship with teachers’ job satisfaction and a significant negative relationship with teachers’ mental health. Further, the principals’ task-oriented leadership style had a significant negative relationship with teachers’ job satisfaction and a significant positive relationship with teachers’ mental health. There was also a significant negative relationship between teachers’ job satisfaction and teachers’ mental health. As regards the principals’ humanistic leadership styles no significant difference was found among principals of elementary, secondary, and high schools. There was, however, no significant difference among them in terms of task-oriented leadership style. Thus, teachers’ job satisfaction and mental health is dependent on the principals’ leadership styles to a large extent. That is, principals with humanistic attitudes enhance teachers’ job satisfaction and mental health.

The main purpose of this paper was to study spiritual education approaches with regard to curriculum components in selected countries through a comparative method drawing on Brady’s model. To this end, relevant documents concerned with the selected countries were collected using library research and through referring to related websites including UNESCO and Proquest, and those of the Ministry of Education in the target countries. Data then was described, interpreted, and compared. From among countries with spiritual education programs, Australia, Japan and Turkey were purposively sampled. Spiritual education approaches were then examined in terms of aim, content, and teaching methodology. The results of the study indicated that there were considerable similarities and differences regarding the education components of concern in this study. While similarities concerned the objectives to the largest extent and content to some extent, differences were recognized in methodologies.

This study was carried out to examine the relationship among three variables of skills, abilities, and managerial roles. This survey-correlational study included all high school principals (N=157) of Shiraz. A use was made of three standard questionnaires of skills, abilities, and roles. Their reliability indexes as assessed by Cronbach’s Alpha were 0.88, 0.90, and 0.86 respectively. Content and face validity of the instruments were established by experts. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis, stepwise multiple regression, one-way ANOVA, and independent t-test. The results indicated that human, technical, and communicational skills and intellectual-mental and scientific abilities could better account for the managerial roles.

This study aimed to study main empowering functions of the organizational excellence model in Sari education organization. This study was of applied research type which used descriptive method. The sampling frame included all staff of the education organization (N=300) in Sari including district one and two, Dodangeh, Chardangeh, and Miandorod. As suggested by Morgan’s table 170 respondents were sampled through simple random sampling method. In order to collect data a use was made of library and survey research methods. A use was made of a closed-ended questionnaire (including 25 items) with a 9-point scale to tap into empowering criteria. Data were analyzed using SPSS and in order to refute or confirm the hypothesis one-sample t-test was employed. The results showed that functional indicators of empowerment (leadership, policy and strategy, human resources, and partnering resources) were positive and satisfactory in education organization.

This research was conducted to investigate the predictive model of teachers’ organizational commitment on the basis of role conflict, overload, and psychological contract. This cross-sectional study was of correlational type. The target population included all teachers of Isfahan city education organization (approximately 3000 teachers). A convenience sample of 532 respondents was selected from the population. Research instruments included role conflict scale (Cronbach’s a=0.6), role overload (Cronbach’s a=0.7), psychological contract (Cronbach’s a=0.77), and organizational commitment (Cronbach’s a=0.72). Construct validity of research instruments was studied through exploratory factor analysis. Data were analyzed employing Pearson correlation coefficient, mediation regression analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results revealed that while role conflict and overload had negative but significant relationship with organizational commitment (P<0.01), just role conflict had a significant relationship with psychological contract. The results of structural equation modeling and mediation regression analysis showed that psychological contract was the partial mediator variable in the relationship between role conflict and overload and organizational commitment. In other words, some of the effects of role conflict and overload were exerted indirectly on organizational commitment through psychological contract.

The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence components and dimensions of organizational citizenship behavior of high school teachers in Isfahan. The target population in this descriptive-correlational research comprised all high school teachers (n=4064) in Isfahan in the academic year of 2010-2011. A sample of 305 teachers was drawn using multistage random sampling method. The research instruments involved two standard questionnaires of emotional intelligence (Shering, 1994) and organizational citizenship behavior (Podsakoff et. al. 1990). The Content validity of both questionnaires was approved by experts. The reliability indexes of the questionnaires as assessed through Cronbach’s alpha were 0.80 and 0.79 for emotional intelligence and organizational citizenship behavior respectively. Data were analyzed employing both descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation test, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Scheffe test). The findings revealed that from among emotional intelligence components there was a significantly positive relationship between self-Awareness, self-motivation, empathy, and social skills and organizational citizenship behavior of teachers. There was no significant difference between the teachers’ viewpoints about emotional intelligence and organizational citizenship behavior regarding sex, work experience and education. However, teachers with more than 20 years of work experience estimated that they had higher emotional intelligence.

This research explored the relationship between teachers’ emotional intelligence and teaching effectiveness and the predictive power of emotional intelligence for effective teaching. Research method was descriptive-correlational. The sample of this study included 704 students and 32 teachers of secondary school in Shiraz selected through stage cluster sampling. Research instruments were Emotional Quotient Inventory (Bar-On, 1997) and Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) (Painta & Hamre, 2009). Basically, ClASS evaluates teaching effectiveness through observation and involves three dimensions of educational support, emotional support, and class organization. Its reliability as assessed by test-retest method was 0.85. Teaching effectiveness in terms of these three components was measured using a questionnaire answered by students. Its Cronbach’s alpha reliability index was estimated to be 0.78. The mean score of both instruments (observation scale and student questionnaire) was viewed as the index of every teacher’s teaching effectiveness. Data were analyzed employing Pearson correlation and regression analysis. The results indicated that the variables of interest were significantly and positively correlated and even by controlling sex, age, and education EQ could strongly predict effective teaching (Beta=0.73). Furthermore, partial correlation of EQ with subscales of effective teaching revealed that there was a significant relationship between EQ and educational support and emotional support but not class organization. Therefore, the research hypothesis was confirmed. As emotional intelligence is teachable it is suggested that more attention be devoted to its development in teacher training programs.