Sensemaking of decision-makers and the allocation of resources within a highly contested educational environment

• Main Author: Plum, Eric J
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2015
• Subjects: Data Analysis; Education Policy; Educational Change; Educational Environment; Educational Facilities Improvement; Educational Improvement; Educational leadership; Educational Policy; Educational sociology; Federal Programs; Instructional Leadership; Language Arts; Music Education; Physical Education; Public Schools; Standardized Tests
• ISBN: 9781339011042; 1339011042

The intent of this study was to examine the thought process Pennsylvania public school decision-makers engage in when allocating resources. This study used two research questions to explore how public school decision-makers determine the allocation of resources within a highly contested environment, providing insight regarding the relationship among decision-making, education reform initiatives, and ethics. In essence, the researcher sought to explore the question: How does the concept of “sensemaking” influence decision-makers practices in regards to the design and implementation of school improvement initiatives? This study examined the processes in which selected decision-makers engage, and experience, as they make sense of the environment and that lead to a decision. Participants for the study included seven decision-makers purposefully selected from public school districts in south-central Pennsylvania. The study uses a qualitative approach using two semi-structured interviews as the primary source of data while narrative inquiry was employed as the methodology. The findings in this study are attributed to the following deductions. When faced with mandates by state and federal sources, decision-makers perceived these elements as non-decisions. Participants seldom objected to state and federal sanctions and were optimistic that plans in place would improve student achievement. However, participants were pressured by the lack of time and funding tied to the implementation, not the mandates themselves. Decision-makers experienced pressures by the needs of stakeholders yet; decision-makers would ultimately base a decision on what or who supported their own sensemaking or how they came to a decision based on how they made sense of a problem. Essentially, participants were creating a blurred line between their personal ethical framework and their professional ethical framework. A just educational policy as articulated by decision-makers was one that met non-decisions/non-negotiable requirements and fit within the participants’ sensemaking of values assigned to specific subjects.