School Climate and Teacher Attitudes toward Upward Communication in Secondary Schools

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between school climate and teacher attitudes toward upward communication of information to the principal. Research literature in organizational climate, school climate, and organizational communication was reviewed. A survey questionnaire assessed the perceptions of educators in population of twenty-six high schools. Research questions were developed to determine if teachers in open climate differed from teachers in closed climate in their perceptions and attitudes regarding upward communication with their principal. Statistically significant differences were found in teacher perceptions relative to communication in the teacher-principal dyad. Findings suggest that the open upward flow of relevant information from teacher to principal in secondary more prevalent in open school climates. Educational leaders are facing many barriers to educational effectiveness. These barriers transcend the traditional challenges presented by changing student demographics, resource reductions, increased operating costs, and the urgency to produce immediate achievement gains while providing quality learning experiences for students. Concealed within and throughout the observable and measurable barriers to educational effectiveness may be the more subtle presence of fear or distrust in working relationships. Fear and distrust in this context (i. e., at the school level) are organizational phenomena that negatively affect the commitment, motivation, confidence, and perceptions of teachers at work. A common manifestation of fear or distrust is reluctance of organizational to speak out about problems, needed changes/improvements, or other work-related issues (Ryan & Oestreich, 1991). Conversely, trust in relationships, particularly in the teacher-principal dyad, positively affects teachers' willingness to speak out about important work-related issues. The goal of this study is to begin to describe the relationship between school climate and communication. More specifically it describes teachers' willingness to upwardly communicate about school-related issues and concerns in relation to school climate. Fundamental to this inquiry is the assumption that school improvement, reform, and excellence are directly related to what teachers do and think. Their importance to the organization and the effectiveness of cannot be overstated. Sirotnik (1989) reminded us that, . . it must not be forgotten where the ultimate power to change is and always has been - in the heads, hands, and hearts of the educators who work in our schools (p.109). Further, it is the interaction patterns existing among teachers and administrators that largely determine the effectiveness of school (Barth, 1990; Johnson & Johnson, 1989). Important to this investigation is Barth's claim that the extent to which teacher-principal interactions are generally supportive and trusting, or adversarial and suspicious, is reflected in most other relationships in the school (p. 19). While research in the field of organizational communication has flourished for several decades, little inquiry has been devoted to organizational communication in or, more specifically, to the upward communication between teacher and principal. To examine upward communication, it is important to have some degree of appreciation for the paradox that organizations present: that people create, maintain, and control organizations, yet organizations attain life of their own and often overshadow, constrain, and manipulate their members (Poole & McPhee, 1983, p.195). REVIEW OF LITERATURE Barnard (1968) defined an organization as a system of consciously coordinated activities or forces of two or more persons (p. 73). Similarly, Weick (1979) suggested that most things in organizations are actually relationships and that events or outcomes are dependent on the strength of the ties, the direction of influence, the time it takes for information in the form of differences to move around circuits (p. …

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