Participatory Decision-making and Kindergarten Teachers' Intrinsic Motivation: A Case Study in Lebanon
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2017
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Abstract
The purpose of this case study was to explore teachers' involvement in participatory decision- making processes and the contribution (or hindrance) that such an involvement might have on their intrinsic motivation, particularly with respect to their autonomy, competence and relatedness. The study focused on one private school in Lebanon that hosts students from middle-upper class families. The research questions raised were bound to the context of the case. Departmental and general meeting minutes, teachers' lesson plans, two questionnaires and individual interviews were used as data sources. The participants, selected by purposeful sampling, included 24 Lebanese kindergarten female teachers (8 current, 8 assistant and 8 former teachers) working with children between ages 3 to 5, two directors and the general director of the school. Data was analyzed qualitatively through content analysis and constant comparative method. After coding, patterns were derived which led to the emergence of nine different themes. The themes that emerged constituted the bases to conclude that teachers were not involved in decisions at the managerial domain. Teachers were somehow involved in curricular and instructional decisions but they felt their involvement was limited and wanted greater participation in decisions related to these domains. When decisions were taken without teachers' involvement, they showed indifference. The study also revealed that extrinsic motivation was highly practiced at the school and teachers were involved in school life and tasks through imposed involvement. Imposed involvement was used since the directors and the coordinator believed that the kindergarten teachers lacked the initiative to take on different tasks. Although teachers were empowered in their profession, empowerment wasn't reflected in participatory decision-making. However, the classroom teachers and the assistant teachers experienced intrinsic motivation when they were involved in participatory decision-making. Finally, the study revealed that the directors were skeptical about kindergarten teachers' involvement in participatory decision-making which was one factor that hindered teachers' involvement in the decision making process. Recommendations for practice and further research were then suggested.
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Koundakjian, N. V. (2017). Participatory Decision-making and Kindergarten Teachers' Intrinsic Motivation: A Case Study in Lebanon (SBS thesis, Haigazian University)