Thesis (doctoral)--Jāmiʻat al-Azhar.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1969. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 358-371).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Economics, August 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Master's thesis. / Format: PDF. Bibl.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1984.

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Not available / text

This study explored, described and attempted to understand the process of change by examining the conversion to school-based management in two Western Canadian public school districts. The study sought to determine where, when, how and why the main actors and factors initiated and provided impetus to the change to school-based management. The emergence of these questions was based on a review of the literature on educational change, school improvement efforts and the change to decentralized decision-making. The literature indicates not only a need to explain the causes of change but also a need to determine ways to influence those causes, to change our planning processes and to produce better planners and implementers. A case study method was utilized with interviews of 43 persons to obtain their perceptions. The sample represented seven levels of district organizational structure: classroom teachers, school principals, central office staff, superintendent(s) , assistant/ associate superintendent(s), trustees, and local teachers' association representatives in each district. Other data sources included district documents and the researcher's field notes. The data were first analyzed descriptively by using Fullan's three phases of the change process: initiation, implementation, and continuation (including perceived outcomes) . A comparative analysis of the data was then undertaken between the two school districts. Finally, an interpretive analysis was undertaken in relation to the current literature on change in education. The main findings are the existence of the following: 1. two subphases of adoption (pre-adoption and formal adoption). Although the literature suggests possible subphases of adoption, this study acknowledges two such subphases. 2. two subphases of implementation (pre-implementation and formal implementation). As with adoption, the literature refers to the possible existence of subphases; however, this study identifies two such subphases. 3. three subphases of continuation (outcome determination processes or mechanisms, identification of outcomes and outcome review). The literature makes reference only to the broad phase of continuation with no reference to subphases. It is interesting to note that the study identifies three main sub-activities or subphases characterizing continuation. 4. four process change variables, each encompassing a number of interactive factors which guide the change process through the three broad phases of change. These process change variables are sources of the initiative, attributes of the initiative, support gathering and context. Again, the literature refers to the cause of change; however, it is interesting to note that certain variables work to influence the causes of change. 5. a management cycle which provided, within the context of continuation, a process for achieving desired school and/or district outcomes. Implicit in the cycle are critical elements for school improvement such as strategic planning, monitoring and review of progress (outcomes), budget planning and resource management. The literature identifies the importance of monitoring results (outcomes) and the importance of change; however, the existence of a cycle of such events during continuation appears novel. 6. a revised model of change in education which offers a modification to that of Fullan and others. This model serves to outline the influences contributing to the change process in general and leads to a revised model of change in education. A number of recommendations based on the findings and conclusions are made. Those addressed to practitioners suggest they should utilize a pilot test to determine the quality of the initiative and it should be held concurrently with preparation of district and school personnel, develop a "blueprint" and/or "template" (vision) for production of an initiative; and establish a management cycle for procuring data on the initiative' s performance in order to compare the outcomes to the original goals for change. The remaining recommendations are addressed to those who would do further research which confirms the change process variables and the clusters of factors associated with each.

<p>There is a realisation that urbanisation has overstretched the ability and efforts of central governments to serve from the centre, thus, giving rise to the search for a robust decentralisation policy that vests urban local governments with some level of autonomy.1 It is in this context that decentralisation has become critical in order to sufficiently respond to the varied service delivery challenges brought about by increasing urbanisation. However, all efforts to capacitate urban councils through the process of decentralisation are futile if the urban local governments lack the necessary financial means to fulfil their responsibilities.</p>

Decentralisation has not only transformed the structure of government but has also fundamentally altered the political landscape in Uganda. Since 1986, the country has witnessed a gradual but comprehensive transfer of power, responsibilities and resources from the centre to local governments. The exercise began as a shift from appointed to elected councillors and leaders, initially of resistance committees, and then later of local councils that have been formed in rural areas and urban wards as vehicles for local government and popular participation. Decentralisation has also appeared in the form of devolution of major functional responsibilities such as primary education, health, water and sanitation, and rural feeder roads from the centre to local governments. Indeed scholars and planners who subscribe to the ideology of centrifugalism as a prominent management and planning discourse have seen this level of decentralization as a fundamental point of departure towards institutionalization of a level of reform which seeks to transfer political, administrative, financial and planning authority from the centre to local governments. Many have also seen it as the right direction towards the promotion of popular participation, empowering local people to make their own decisions and generally enhancing the levels of accountability and responsibility within the local communities. Nevertheless the process of decentralisation has not entirely been a bed of roses. Despite the existence of abundant goodwill on the part of the national political leadership, lack of civic competence, apathy, disillusionment and fatigue are some of the debilitating factors that have combined to render citizen participation generally unattainable. Moreover, because decentralisation has tended to be a top-down approach, participation has largely been seen as a government obligation rather than as a people-driven process. Lack of both financial and human resources have compounded the situation. Districts have consistently lacked sufficient financial resources to run decentralised functions because of a tax base, which is so narrow that revenue to districts is basically limited to graduated personal tax and grants from the Central Government. Inspite of the existence of the above shortcomings, democratic decentralisation remains the only viable answer in the quest for good _governance, active local government and an empowered local population. This study analyses the process of devolution in Uganda with the aim of identifying the underlying constraints that continue to impinge on it, and proposing ways and means of ameliorating them. Using Hoima district local _government as a case study and results from the national service delivery survey conducted by the Uganda Ministry of Public Service in the year 2000, the study highlights most of these constraints, prominent among which are poor service delivery, lack of community participation, inadequate financial and human resources, a narrow local tax base, a weak civil society, and underscores the need to ameliorate them if devolution is to attain the anticipated results. The first part of the study examines some of the theories, concepts and views that underpin the policy of decentralisation and sets the pace for its contextualisation. The second part looks at the deeper process of decentralisation by analyzing the structures and institutionalization of local government in Uganda and highlighting critical issues that are pertinent in local government management and development. The study argues that while enormous goodwill exists on the part of the national political leadership, devolution in Uganda and local government development generally are still beset by a range of factors that include weaknesses within the institutional structures mandated to actualize the policy. Centric tendencies are still pervasive with the unfortunate results of stalling the pace of transformation especially in the financial sector. The third part dwells on the research methodology used, the nature and extent-of data collected, the sampling techniques applied and how these affected the outcome of the study. This part also highilg!lts the findings of the study, which are discussed and the-causative factors analyzed. The fourth and last part focuses mainly on recommendations arising out of the conclusions, with particular emphasis on key areas that require urgent action. It also identifies areas for further research and suggests how such research would assist in expanding the scope and understanding of the subject under study. This study cautions against the tendency to .romanticise devolution as the new-found solution for past and current institutional and socio-economic distortions and argues that devolution itself can make state institutions more responsive to the needs of the communities, but only if it allows local people to hold public servants accountable and ensures their participation in the development process. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2004.