Teacher empowerment: Its relationship to school structure and teacher motivation

This study investigated the concept of teacher empowerment and its relationship to school structure and teacher motivation. The focus of the study was on elementary classroom teachers of kindergarten to fifth grade level. The sample (N = 192) was drawn from 21 selected schools representing eight different school districts in southeastern Massachusetts. The researcher utilized a survey questionnaire to test two basic hypotheses: (1) Teachers\u27 perceptions of school structure influence the degree of teacher empowerment evidenced in the school; (2) a school structure based on the teacher empowerment concept enhances teacher motivation. Those teachers who perceived their school structure as democratic reported the presence of more teacher empowerment elements in the school environment and demonstrated greater teacher empowerment than did those teachers who perceived their school structure as autocratic or laissez faire. Teachers who perceived their school structure as democratic indicated that their teaching motivation is provided from a greater variety of sources than do those teachers who perceived their school structure as autocratic or laissez faire. Based on the research findings, the researcher concluded that teachers who perceive their school structure as democratic report more opportunities to exercise teacher empowerment and consequently, evidence greater empowerment than do those in a perceived autocratic or laissez faire structure. The researcher also concluded that a democratic school structure is a facilitating environment for teacher empowerment and enhances teacher motivation by providing a wide range of motivational sources for teachers