Selected Aspects of the Secretary\u27s Role in the Public Schools as Perceived by Principals, Teachers, and School Secretaries

The purpose of this study was to compare principals\u27, teachers\u27 and secretaries\u27 perceptions regarding selected aspects of the school secretary\u27s role in administering the public schools. A questionnaire, developed by the researcher, was sent to 465 principals, teachers, and school secretaries in the First Tennessee Development District, in Spring, 1991. Three hundred ninety-one questionnaires were returned for a response rate of 84%. Six null hypotheses were tested for significance at the.05 level. The one-way analysis of variance and the Student-Newman-Keuls statistical procedures were used to test the responses of the three groups of participants for significant differences. All the null hypotheses were rejected. The findings of the study were as follows: (1) The position of the typical school secretary in the First Tennessee Development District is a full-time position. Of the 137 secretaries surveyed, 97% reported they worked 35 or more hours per week. (2) Secretaries perceived that they assumed a greater administrative role in the school than the principals or teachers perceived. (3) Secretaries perceived that they assumed more of a public relations role in the school than principals or teachers perceived. Principals perceived that school secretaries assumed more of a public relations role than teachers assumed. (4) Principals and secretaries perceived that secretaries were more involved in the school operation than teachers perceived. (5) Secretaries perceived that they were more involved with clerical tasks than principals or teachers perceived. (6) Secretaries perceived that they were more involved with human relations tasks than principals or teachers perceived. (7) Principals perceived that secretaries participated more in professional development activities than teachers perceived