Date of Conferral

1-1-2009

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Pamela Harrison

Abstract

Bill 160 in Ontario removed administrators from teachers' federations creating an unhealthy gap between groups and a lowering of morale for both. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between perceived effects of teachers' union actions on administrators' and teachers' roles and morale. Learning and organizational theories provided a theoretical framework for this quantitative study. Voluntary participants included teachers and administrators from Canadian Education Association and administrators from Ontario Principals' Council. Questionnaires addressed three hypotheses, which dealt with level of morale between participants, correlation between the morale score and the learning environment score, and difference in morale between teachers and administrators when the learning environment was controlled. Two measures standardized through a panel review and pilot study were used: Teacher/Administrator Morale and Learning Environment questionnaires. A continuous scale measured the dependent variable, morale and the independent variable, learning environment whereas a categorical scale measured the independent variable, role. Two-sample t test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis analyzed the data. Significant findings indicated that learning environment scores affected the morale of administrators more than teachers. Results will fill the gap between research and practice, suggesting a need for further knowledge on teachers' morale. Social change is accomplished through student achievement, a result of administrator/teacher collaboration and resultant increased morale. Social change might also occur if teachers had the option of belonging to a teachers' union in Ontario as in the United States.

Download

Share

 
COinS