A comparison of elementary and high school teachers' perceptions of shared decision making as related to their job satisfaction in public schools in the Chattahoochee-Flint Resa service area in Georgia, 1997

This study sought to determine if differences existed between the perceptions of elementary and high school teachers regarding the level of teacher involvement in eight areas of shared decision making. This study also sought to determine if differences existed between the perceptions of elementary and high school teachers regarding teacher job satisfaction. The sample in this study included 13 public elementary schools and 7 public high schools within the Chattahoochee-Flint RESA service area in the state of Georgia. The instruments used to survey teachers were the Teacher Involvement and Participation Scale-Version 2 (TIPS 2) and Profile Assessment for Leaders (PAL). Surveys were sent to 363 elementary school teachers and 209 high school teachers. The response rate was 91 percent (522 surveys). Analysis of the data indicated that teachers in high schools perceived that they were more involved in shared decision making than elementary school teachers. Elementary school teachers perceived that they were more involved in the standards area of shared decision making than high school teachers. High school teachers perceived that they were more involved in goals/vision/mission, curriculum/ instruction, budget, staffing, operations, facilitating procedures/structures, and staff development areas of shared decision making than elementary school teachers. Elementary school teachers perceived that they were more satisfied than high school teachers. Significant differences existed between elementary and high school teachers' perceptions of teacher involvement in shared decision making in the budget and staffing area of shared decision making. Differences across the other six areas of shared decision making were not significant. A major finding of the study is that high school teachers were more involved in shared decision making than elementary school teachers, yet elementary school teachers were more satisfied than high school teachers. High school teachers perceived that they were more involved in six of the eight areas of shared decision making