This study sought to identify patterns in perceptions and social-psychological processes among 41 systematically chosen high school teachers who experienced a teacher strike in 1978 in a large Arizona public school system. An attitude-behavior interview schedule was used to elicit both quantitative and qualitative data. The theoretical framework for this investigation consisted of five concepts derived from perceptual psychology. These concepts were: (1) the development and maintenance of an adequate self; (2) resistance to attack on the self; (3) the perceptual field as a determinant of behavior; (4) human dignity as related to politics and economic welfare; and (5) self-maintenance of an organization or system. The data was compiled, analyzed, and reported in accordance to the theoretical framework. The major issues of the strike, as reported especially by strikers, were: (1) "Challenge to personal dignity," and (2) "Loss of established negotiating policy." Both strikers and non-strikers tended to report that the strike resulted from "the way the board and the district's central administration handled the issues." The qualitative data indicated that the personal relationships among the striking teachers in their respective buildings were increasingly positive and unified in a spirit of camaraderie. Among the non-strikers, however, there appeared to be no such sense of unity and camaraderie. Relationships between the two groups were reported to be strained, and feelings of animosity toward each other developed and persisted beyond the strike. Correspondingly, non-strikers appeared to have experienced greater stress than did the strikers. The end result of the strike as perceived by those respondents who struck was that they had regained their self-esteem.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/184971 |
| Date | January 1982 |
| Creators | BEVAN, JOHN VICTOR. |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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