I want to challenge T. M. Skrtic's notions of Adhocracy as a viable organizational
framework for Special Education in mainstream schools. I want to challenge Skrtic, not so much
on the structural aspects of Adhocracy, but on the psychological, physical and emotional
demands made of the teacher working in such a system. For while Skrtic's perspective regarding
the organizational context of Special Education warrants credit for its perception and
providence, it is my belief that Skrtic fails to address the human needs of teachers with the same
clarity and brevity that he affords to understanding the needs of the children that are placed in
their care. By focussing primarily on the design and implementation of what he considers to be
the most effective structural configurations within schools to meet the needs of special education
students, Skrtic's organizational paradigms may well create and perpetuate high levels of
professional burnout and attrition as a consequence of reaching and maintaining his goal.
In order to levitate Skrtic's ideology, and my experience, of Adhocracy, creating the
potential for an initial point of equilibrium, I require a fulcrum, a pivot compiled of research
made during my graduate studies, research that has focussed on the causes of stress, burnout and
attrition associated with regular and special education teachers, I will make particular reference
to the work of Brownell, Smith, McNellis & Lenk (1995) who provide tremendous insight into
why people become 'stayers' - special education teachers with more than 5 years of classroom
experience - or become 'leavers' - teachers who leave special education (Brownell et al, 1994-.
95, p. 87).
It is my hope that by counter-weighing adhocracy, thereby giving credence to both its
theoretical and practical existence, I hope to have exposed a paradox: that in striving to meet the
needs of Special Education Children, Skrtic's application of Adhocracy as a viable organizational
structure in regular schools is flawed because of its failure to identify and address the (individual)
needs of those held directly responsible for its administration.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/10585 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Collins, Simon |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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