Perceptions of change : a case study of a Tech Prep pilot program /
The purpose of this case study was to investigate the nature
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1994.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=741945331&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | The purpose of this case study was to investigate the nature of the participants' experience in the implementation process of an educational initiative in a selected secondary school in Southeast Texas. Qualitative methods were used to collect data over the course of a two-year pilot program. The sample included secondary school administrators, counselors, teachers, and students, as well as participants at the community college level. Data were collected using open- ended interviews, observation, field notes, along with artifacts and documents from the planning and implementation process. Themes that emerged from the data detailed the direction of a pervasive institutional culture responsible for and defining and directing participants' perceptions of the implementation process. Perspectives of obstacles and facilitators in the process evolved in accordance with individuals' roles and their relationship to the system culture. Persons near the top of the organizational structure perceived the obstacles and facilitators in abstract terms. Participants at the other end of the organization experienced those same elements in more concrete and personal terms. The added burden of effort, anxiety, and alienation from the decision-making process distanced those persons who were added to the program in the later stages of implementation. Ancillary findings revealed a consensus among the participants relating to the deficiencies in traditional methods of preparing students for the world of work, and the dire need to develop alternative methods that join established academic and vocational instruction methods. A collective participant vision was detailed as to how the ultimate success of the program would be determined. A model to enhance the implementation phase of educational initiatives was developed and presented. The results of this study expand the research into organizational innovativeness and leadership. Implications for theory and practice exist in the areas of management styles, team-building strategies, and organizational innovativeness. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Educational Human Resource Development". |
| Physical Description: | viii, 158 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |