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A Descriptive Approach to Measuring a School Culture

A Descriptive Approach to Measuring a School Culture. Ronnie Detrich Wing Institute. ABAI Seattle, Washington 2012. Goals for Today. Describe a method for directly measuring cultural practices. Suggest analytical tasks based on the descriptive data.

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A Descriptive Approach to Measuring a School Culture

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  1. A Descriptive Approach toMeasuring a School Culture Ronnie Detrich Wing Institute ABAI Seattle, Washington 2012

  2. Goals for Today • Describe a method for directly measuring cultural practices. • Suggest analytical tasks based on the descriptive data. • Review variables that influence adoption of new practices.

  3. Why Culture Change? • Educational reform efforts often emphasize changing the culture of the school as part of change process. • Recognizes the importance of social influence in schools. • Methodology for determining what practices require change or how to change the culture has not been well described.

  4. Defining Cultural Practice • Cultural practice: behavior that most members of the defined culture do. • Both overt and verbal behavior. • Can be measured via direct observation and indirect methods (surveys). • Measurement method depends on behavior of interest.

  5. Metrics for Measuring Cultural Practice • Incidence rates: • frequency that specific behaviors occur within a period of time. • Prevalence: • percent of population that engages in behavior.

  6. Example • Incidence • Example: CBM probes completed = 10 per 2 weeks. • Goal: 20 students x 20 teachers x 2 weeks = 800 probes. • Prevalence • 20% (4/20) of teachers completed at least one CBM probe in 2 week period. • Goal: 100% (20/20) of teachers complete CBM probes every 2 week.

  7. Some Assumptions • If behavior occurs at high rates and has widespread prevalence it can be assumed that: • There are specific contingencies within the culture that support the behavior. • Changing cultural practices requires changing the contingencies.

  8. Possible Interactions Incidence High Low Cultural Practice • Cultural Practice • Inadequate Frequency High Prevalence Not Cultural Practice Not Cultural Practice • Subset of population engages in behavior • Effective contingencies in place for this subset of culture Low • No contingencies to support behavior

  9. Possible Interactions Incidence High Low Cultural Practice • Cultural Practice High Prevalence Not Cultural Practice Not Cultural Practice • Subset of population engages in behavior effective • Contingencies in place for this subset of culture Low • No contingencies to support behavior

  10. Analytical Task Incidence High Low • What contingencies support these practices? • What maintains these contingencies? • Barriers to higher frequencies? • Lack of time? • Lack of resources? • Unclear expectations? High Prevalence Differences between high/low performers? Barriers to greater prevalence/incidence? Low • Verbal repertoires? • Training? • Unclear expectations? • Training? • Experience? • Peer group?

  11. Measuring Verbal Behavior • Some occasions prevalence more important measure than frequency. • Verbal behavior measures • Example: “attitudes” toward data-based decision making. • Task is to identify breadth and depth of “attitude.” • Example: Aarons (2005) measured attitude toward EBP among mental health workers. • Verbal behavior does not always correspond to overt behavior. • Important to measure all behavior not just verbal. • Ferster (1967) what people do more important than what they say.

  12. Analyzing the Distribution 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Strongly Strongly Agree Disagree

  13. Changing School Cultures • Begin by specifying what culture practices are to occur. • Measure existing culture to determine match with preferred cultural practices. • Cannot change culture without specific change targets. • Analyze possible controlling variables to initiate change process.

  14. Influencing Adoption • Harris (1979): practices are adopted and maintained to the extent that they have favorable, fundamental outcomes at a lower cost than alternative practices. • Rogers (2003): Diffusion of innovation is a social process, even more than a technical matter. • The adoption rate of innovation is a function of its compatibility with the values, beliefs, and past experiences of the individuals in the social system.

  15. Principles for Effective Diffusion:Improving the Odds (Rogers, 2003) • Innovation has to solve a problem that is important for the “client.” • Innovation must have relative advantage over current practice. • It is necessary to gain support of the opinion leaders if adoption is to reach critical mass and become self-sustaining.

  16. Example of Successful Culture Change • School-wide Positive Behavior Support • Do not engage unless 80% of faculty agree to make student behavior priority for 3 years. • Usually local champion responsible for bringing to school. • Solutions are developed by school leadership teams. • Goal is to increase local capacity.

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