School organizational structures: effects on teacher and student learning
Abstract
Purpose
The present study attempted to explore the relationship between teacher learning and student learning under different school structural conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
Some 1,330 teachers from 29 secondary schools of different community backgrounds and student academic abilities in Hong Kong were surveyed, using instruments from diverse conceptual sources.
Findings
Findings emerging from the data supported two propositions: First, high flexible structure fostered conditions that were more conducive to teachers' learning than working conditions which were perceived as “medium” or “rigid” structures. Second, the three structural conditions that elevated greater teacher learning as reported. i.e. having greater control, higher motivation and more collective learning opportunities, exerted a definitive impact on students' progress in diverse aspects of their development.
Originality/value
The results highlight the significance of structural impact on school performance. In so doing, it underscores the need for broadening the scope of investigation of other equally salient internal school environmental features for a better understanding of how school organizational self‐propelled improvement can be sustained.
Keywords
Citation
Jack Lam, Y.L. (2005), "School organizational structures: effects on teacher and student learning", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 43 No. 4, pp. 387-401. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578230510605432
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited