The Relationship Between Shared Decision-Making and School Climate

The focus of this study was to determine the extent of the relationship between shared decision-making and school climate. In order to explore these constructs, a quantitative survey included SEDS-R, OCI, and demographic items. The 109-item survey questionnaire was made available to K-6 elementary teachers in Mississippi. Two hundred twenty-nine teachers responded to the questionnaire using Qualtrics. Survey results from SEDS-R and OCI were downloaded into Excel and cleaned of incomplete data sets and participants who did not meet the specifications set by the researcher. SPSS was then used to average the results from SEDS-R and OCI. Demographic information gathered was used to categorize. Multiple regression analysis was then performed to find whether a statistical relationship exists. Overall, the researcher found that shared decision-making is not taking place in the participating teachers’ schools. Fewer than ten teachers reported high levels of shared decision-making within their schools. School climates, however, were rated high among the teachers who were surveyed. There was a statistical relationship between the two constructs, but it was found that there are likely other factors also contributing to positive school climate