ERIC Number: EJ1036974
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Oct
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-161X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Meaning and Measure of Organizational Learning Mechanisms in Secondary Schools
Schechter, Chen; Atarchi, Lilach
Educational Administration Quarterly, v50 n4 p577-609 Oct 2014
Purpose: Organizational learning has been conceptualized as a critical component for school effectiveness. This study explored organizational learning in schools through the conceptual framework of "organizational learning mechanisms" (OLMs) and developed a measure of OLMs at the secondary school level. Research Design: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of items were conducted to examine factorial validity. To test the criterion-related validity, the OLM questionnaire was correlated to other constructs--teachers' sense of collective efficacy and teachers' organizational commitment, both of which have been used as independent variables to predict school productivity. Findings: A four-factor model of OLMs in secondary schools was the best fit between the empirical results and the conceptual formulation. The four-factor model included the following factors: disseminating, storing, and retrieving information; distributing information among students and parents; analyzing and interpreting information; and usage of online information. Implications: The present study encourages researchers to explore whether OLMs can serve as a mediating variable between the system level and the classroom level. Using this questionnaire, secondary schools can assess their own learning cycle, analyzing their practices of information processing.
Descriptors: Organizational Culture, Organizational Development, Learning, Learning Processes, Secondary Schools, Factor Analysis, Construct Validity, Questionnaires, Correlation, Teacher Effectiveness, Productivity, Models, Information Dissemination, Information Storage, Information Retrieval, Foreign Countries, Factor Structure
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Israel
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A