Evaluation of uncertainty experienced in schools within the context of school objectives

Uncertainty is a phenomenon that exists in every aspect of life. It is inevitable to experience uncertainty in schools that focus on people and are based on general and specific goals. While school goals can be a precaution against uncertainty, they can also become the target of uncertainty. It is possible to recognize and manage uncertainty rather than avoiding it. The aim of the research is to evaluate the uncertainties experienced in schools within the context of school goals, within the framework of school principals ' and teachers' opinions and teachers perceive uncertainty. Phenomenology, one of the qualitative research designs, was used. The research was conducted in the 2022-2023 academic year with 6 principals and 12 teachers working in public primary and secondary education institutions in Efeler district of Aydın province. Maximum diversity by selecting primary school, secondary school and high school levels in determining schools; typical case sampling technique was used by selecting schools considered to be medium-sized. In forming the working group, teachers and principals with more than 5 years of professional seniority were selected through preliminary interviews using the criterion sampling technique. Teachers and administrators from different genders, branches and seniority were included in the research to ensure maximum diversity. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher with expert opinion and analyzed with content analysis. According to the findings of the research, teachers and principals perceived uncertainty as a negative situation; they defined it as chaos, disorder, uncertainty, unplannedness, anxiety, changes, rulelessness, insolubility and risk. Reasons that create uncertainty in schools; under the categories of system-related, intra-organizational and environmental reasons; it is expressed as bureaucracy, lack of control, sudden changes in the system, unability to use authority of the management, communication style within the organization, irresponsibility, interpersonal conflicts, moving away from the goals, lack of communication, physical and economic conditions, political attitudes, unusual events and unwilliyness to change. The effects of uncertainty; under the categories of effects on school stakeholders, school climate and educational goals; it is expressed as lack of motivation, anxiety about the future, reluctance, disruption or postponement of work, creating pressure, stress and insecurity, causing lack of foresight, creating negative attitudes towards management, disrupting plans, moving away from goals. Teachers and principals about methods of coping with uncertainty in schools, under the categories of individual and organizational attitudes; they prefer to stay calm, act solution-oriented, be flexible, procrastinate, think positively, do teamwork, keep communication strong, focus on the problem, take risks, get opinions from others, look at past practices, and approach with a sense of duty. Recommendations have been developed for the educational environment, teachers, school administration, Ministry of Education and other senior management on what needs to be done to prevent uncertainty in schools. Some of these suggestions include taking advantage of the integrative power of educational goals to prevent differences from creating inequality of opportunity, providing training on crisis management, stress management and communication skills, especially uncertainty management, which will enable school principals and teachers to recognize ways to cope with uncertainty or realize the mistakes they make in situations of uncertainty.