Session Information
26 SES 07 A, Job Satisfication and Work-Related Stress
Paper Session
Contribution
This paper addresses the issue of school autonomy and its relation to school effectiveness. Attention is given to the country of Cyprus, where the educational system is centralized and lacks school autonomy in almost all educational matters. The purpose of the study was to create a model of school autonomy that defines which decisions (related to various administrative, financial, academic, pedagogical and human resources matters) must be taken at school level, which decisions can be taken partly from the individual school (with a higher level of control and direction from the ministry) and which have to be taken exclusively by a central authority, in order to enhance school effectiveness. In the specific paper, school effectiveness is studied through headteachers’ job satisfaction and work-related stress.
Although school autonomy has been a subject under examination for several decades in the international arena and many related educational reforms have been implemented (Eurydice, 2007; 2008; 2013), only a few studies focus on the relation between school autonomy and school effectiveness. Many countries have been implementing reforms to enhance school autonomy, mostly based on the general belief that school autonomy is related to school effectiveness. This general belief is probably related to the democratic meaning of the autonomy’s term and/or the decision making based on the characteristics of the individual school, area or context. Common knowledge though must not take the place of educational research; referring to this, it has to be mentioned that only a few studies examine school autonomy and effectiveness relation, supporting that school autonomy causes better academic results (i.e. Chubb & Moe, 1990; Woessmann, 2001). At the same time, other researchers believe that autonomy does not affect students’ grades. (De Grauwe, 2005; Dempster, 2000; Parry, 1997). Therefore, it can be said that new evidence is needed in order to have a better understanding of the relation between school autonomy and school effectiveness. This paper, approaches the above relation through a different lens; school effectiveness is examined through headteachers’ job satisfaction and work related stress.
Another important characteristic of the study is the approach towards the term and the meaning of school autonomy. School autonomy is discussed as a multilevel term and not as a two dimension value; school autonomy is not something you either have or not, but a broad concept. An educational system can enhance the level of school autonomy in some matters, whilst retaining the control by the educational authorities in other matters. Thus, based on a detailed literature review, the paper presents all the educational matters affected from a possible reform related to school autonomy and focuses on the creation of a school autonomy model that enhance school effectiveness. The Cyprus case is important in this matter, due to the stagnation and strict centralization that characterize the country’s educational system. The paper not only presents a new way of examining the relation between school autonomy and school effectiveness, but also supports the implementation of an effective school autonomy model in Cyprus, based on research evidence and not common knowledge. Following the methodology presented in the next sector, similar research can be implemented in other countries or contexts in order to support the effective school autonomy model for each case.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
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