Participative Decision-Making in the Schools: A Multidimensional Model

289 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1997.Multiple regression analysis was employed to examine the relationships between the dimensions of PDM and work-related attitudes and relationships (e.g., interpersonal trust at work, organizational commitment). Results were, for the most part, in the predicted direction and consistent with the proposed model. Some PDM forms appeared to be more strongly linked with outcomes than other forms. Most notably, forms of PDM characterized by a relatively high level of perceived influence and power and a low level of worker initiative, tended to be more strongly associated with trust in the principal than PDM forms with a low level of perceived influence and power and a high level of worker initiative. Findings suggest that the level of trust between teachers and a principal is strongly linked to having a balance of power in the school. Such a balance appears to be characterized by conditions of equal opportunity for participation, decentralized authority, teacher influence in decision making, and a sense among teachers that their participation actually contributes to the good of the school.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD