Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1983. / Typescript. Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-167).

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1980. / Carbon copy of typescript.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1980. / Also available in print.

Thesis--University of Wisconsin. / Reproduced from typewritten copy. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-171).

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The study was based on examination of four selected methods of administrator-to-student body communication utilized in twenty central Indiana high schools. Student handbooks, school newspapers, special bulletins, and daily announcements were the methods examined. The study was designed to yield empirical data with regard to the effectiveness of the four selected methods as perceived by administrators and students.Parallel instruments were given to all administrators and to a sample of tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students in each of the twenty schools. Personal interviews were conducted with each of the principals.Findings in the study were based on data obtained from the administrator and student surveys and from the interviews with principals.1. On each of the survey items administrators and students generally agreed on which method was most effective to distribute a particular type of information.2. School newspapers were not a primary method of administrator-to-student body communication in any of the schools.3. Reading announcements twice daily rather than once made little or no difference in the amount of information received by students.4. Little or no difference existed in the reported amount of information received from daily announcements in schools where students did the reading compared to schools where administrators read.5. In the one school where daily announcements were read in the classrooms by teachers rather than over the public address system, the reported amount of information received was clearly less than in those schools using the public address system.6. No one method of communication produced student reports of information received which were clearly higher than the other methods.7. Administrator estimates of the amount of information received by students were consistently higher than the amounts actually reported by students.Conclusions1. No one method of communication is consistently more effective than the others.2. Administrators are inclined to overestimate the amount of information received by students.ImplicationsWhile conclusions based on empirical data were limited, several implications were generated as a result of conducting the study. In the course of visiting twenty schools and interviewing administrators in the twenty schools, several observations were made about situations and patterns which were present when students reported high amounts of information received. The patterns were consistent even when communication methods differed.The effectiveness of administrator-to-student body communication does not appear to be controlled by chance or luck. In schools where students reported high amounts of information received, the principals viewed the communication process as important to the success of the school. The principals, through planning and attention to detail, set a communication tone which was clear to teachers and students alike. The methods differed from school to school but in those schools where student responses indicated effective communication was being achieved, more attention to the process by administrators was observed as a general condition.In schools where student responses indicated that less information was received, principals often stated the position that communication was important but when the total process was studied, communication efforts lacked coordination and direction.In summary, planning commitment, and coordination appear to be necessary ingredients regardless of which communication method is used. Without such ingredients, none of the methods is likely to succeed.

The purpose of the study was to compare preferred with actual student participation in the decision-making process as perceived by Indiana public secondary school principals.

The purpose of this research was to determine student involvement in secondary school administrative decision making. Sixteen principals were selected to participate in the research representing secondary schools having a minimum enrollment of fifteen hundred in grades ten through twelve and nine through twelve in the Indianapolis school system and Marion County school districts.Interview data were catagorized under four major concerns dealing with fifteen major topics: assembly programs, athletic activities, building plans, curriculum, discipline policy, dress code and appearance, extracurricular activities, grading procedure, length of periods and school day, school board representation, staff employment, use of building, teacher appraisal, faculty meetings, and parent-teacher association.The first concern through the selection of one of three statements was to determine the administrator's philosophy on student involvement as a part of administrative decision making. The second concern was to determine the administrator's perception of the degree of student involvement in the fifteen selected areas. The third concern was to determine the administrator's perception of the degree of student involvement in related functions within the framework of the fifteen selected areas. The fourth concern was to determine the administrator's perception of future involvement in the fifteen selected areas.A value scale with numerical weights for interpretative purposes determined answers in the following manner:Individual Compilation SCALEWord ChoiceValueTotal #PrincipalsValueTotalVery reasonable516x580Reasonable416x464Undecided316x348Unreasonable216x232Highly unreasonable116x116Compilation of the sixteen principals' responses to the role of student involvement in secondary school administrative decision making thus were recorded in numerical degrees of acceptance and rejection of the very reasonable 65-80; reasonable 49-64; undecided 33-48; unreasonable 17-32; and highly unreasonable 1-16. Numerical weights were based on the individual value multiplied by the total principals as a unit, indicating the perceived role of student in secondary school decision making as a group.Participants were personally interviewed in their school offices by appointment. Informality characterized the interviews in which the instrument was used to secure data and additional comments were tape-recorded.All sixteen respondents reflected degrees of interest and recognition of student involvement in secondary school administrative decision making in their representative schools. Those topics receiving the greatest perceived degree of student involvement were: extracurricular activities, assembly programs, curriculum, dress code and appearance, building plans, faculty meetings and building use. The principals were undecided in involving students in grading procedure, teacher appraisal, school board representation, length of periods and school day, and athletic activities. They rejected discipline policies and staff employment as unreasonable involvement of students. The sixteen principals envisioned future student involvement as increasing in curriculum and extracurricular activities along with teacher appraisal and parent-teacher association.All sixteen principals believed in the philosophy of student involvement as a part of secondary school administrative decision making. The seven topics receiving the highest value scores for student involvement resulted in the following conclusions: (1) student involvement in the organization, leadership and after-school structure patterns in extracurricular activities; (2) assembly programs with emphasis on student performing groups for greater student contribution and participation; (3) student involvement in curriculum planning concerning organization and content of elective subjects; (4) more administrative support in parent-teacher association drive for student membership; (5) student participation in new building plans to gain insight of functional design and equipment from the users of those facilities; (6) student involvement in faculty meetings only when participation contributes to a particular student related subject on the meeting agenda; (7) students help supervise the use of the building to promote better understanding of the maintenance and tax value of a public building.

As South Africa prepares to reconstruct its education system for a post-apartheid, democratic society, many facets of educational life will of necessity come under re-examination. One such area is that of school governance which traditionally was the domain of principals, teachers and more recently parents, with little, if any, input by students. After 1985, however, with the formation of the Congress of South African Students (CaSAS), backed by the National Education Co-ordinating Committee (NECC), the demand for student participation in the management of schools began to gain momentum. Parent-Teacher -Student Associations (PTSA's), although not recognised by the education authorities, were established in many black schools throughout the country. They afforded students the opportunity to become involved, as equal partners with teachers and parents, in decision-making in the management of secondary schools. During the past decade, however, the question of student participation in decision-making in the management of schools has become a point of controversy. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of students in decision-making in the administration and management of secondary schools. For this purpose case studies were conducted in two schools with active student participation in joint decision-making. The schools were selected after a preliminary investigation of the state of PTSA's in schools in the greater Durban area. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with teacher, parent and student representatives and principals and non-participant observation of PTSA meetings, workshops and social functions were used to survey attitudes and opinions pertinent to this study. The results of the study indicate that student participation in the management of schools is crucial for the creation of a climate of learning and teaching and that it is seen in itself as an integral part of the process of students' development. The study also points to the dilemma that students face in participating jointly with parents and teachers in decision-making while maintaining their autonomy. The recommendations that emerge from the study include the involvement of students as equal partners in decision-making in secondary schools, the establishment of Internal Disciplinary Committees in which students participate, the appointment of a member of staff as a liaison officer for student affairs with the task of establishing a Students' Representative Council (SRC) and the implementation of training programmes that would assist students in joint decision-making. The study acknowledges the existence of conflict between the participants but proposes that such conflict can be constructively addressed tbrough "creative consensus" that would benefit both the participants and the school. The researcher recommends that for the present, students should not be involved in any discussions of teacher misconduct and that students should not be entrusted with handling the finances of the school without teacher or parent supervision. However, in keeping with the developmental approach adopted in the study, it is envisaged that when the element of trust is developed between students and teachers, students would be allowed to participate in these sensitive areas of decision-making.