The role of the secondary school principals? cultural leading qualification in influncing the resistance against alterations

Culture of institutions has become a significant effect for institutions since 1980?s. In the following years, this has been adopted by educational institutions as well. School culture is defined as feelings, activities, expectations, presumptions, beliefs, attitudes and values shared by the staff.Therefore principals must consider as one of their significant duties to form their schools? culture, present and change it when it is necessary.The recent developments in the world through many changes in every area led to rapid changes in the educational field as well. This development in the educational field forces both the educational system and instutions for making changes. Because it is so hard with the current school system and perception to answer the needs of modern technology and adapt to it. Therefore making alterations is necessary for the way of educational presentation, technological base, administrative structure and financial state.The school principal has the major role in carrying out the alteration successfully. The alteration is achieved by the participation of the people involved therefore it should be adapted first by different groups such as students, teachers, administors and parents. So the people who have the duty of making changes should be trained for such a task. The staff?s participation, support, cooperation and motivation have a special kind of importance during the alteration. At this point school principals can create an animated atmospher in their schools by using their cultural leading qualification, iradicating resistance and carrying out successful tactics in alteration management.By this research the opinions of the teachers and administrators working at secondary schools have been defined with regard to? The role of the secondary school principals? cultural leading qualification in influncing the resistance against alterations? and consequently proposals has been stated fort his matter. A questionnaire has been prepared to define the stiuation at schools. This questionnaire consist of three parts.In the first part the attempt has been to define the demographic factor qualifications of the participants. In the second part the teachers an administrators have been asked to answer the questions concerning the cultutal leading qualification of their principals and whether they use it in tackling with the resistance against alteration or not, so it has been attempted to define the current situation regarding this matter at school management. The third part?s for any additional information.The enviroment of the research consists of the administrators and teachers working at secondary schools ( Academic High Schools, Anatolian Vocational and Vocational High Schools, Industrial Vocational High Schools and Private High Schools ) in district of Kadıköy, Üsküdar, Ümraniye, Maltepe and Kartal in the Asian Side of İstanbul under the administration of İstanbul Municipality in the educational year 2007-2008. As for the example, it totally consists of 321 teachers, 58 administrators and 321 teachers from 17 secondary schools chosen randomly from the enviroment.The finding are calculated by using satistical methods T test, one way variance analysis on spss 15 computer programme.According the results of the research, the questions were answered by the teachers who took part in the research, so the observation is that ½ of them are graduates of Education Faculties, with a close rate to this one are experienced teachers, also with a similar rate one working in vocational high schools, very few of them have post graduate degree ¾ of them are tral teachers. It has been observed that female teachers in compare with their male colleaques have a higher degree of perception and evaluation with regard to the point that principals work in earnest for the alteration, make some basic preparations prior to the alteration, undertake the leadership of carrying out the steps towards alteration and behave earnestly to show the importance considered for common values of a school culture. Also it has been clear that female teachers in compare with male teachers and administrators are more positive about the point that principals make convenient alterations to the structure and culture of their schools, make these alterations whenever they are really needed and reward every supportive action towards alteration.Another observation is that female teachers in compare with their male colleques have more possitive point of views with regard to that principals arrange meetings to declare the necessity of the alteration with its objectives and strategies, invite experts to their schools for providing the necessary information, convince the staff to avoid their unnecessary worries and concerns which caused by confronting new unfamiliar situation and environment, explain the benefits of the alteration, express with cerainity that former knowledge and skills wont be lost by alteration and the relations of the staff will be better by alterations which forces people at the same time to learn the use of modern technology, provide the staff continuously with information during the period of alternation, undertake the leadership of some actions concerning alteration such as regulations, programmes etc. And give the staff the freedom of choosing what they do for alteration.It can be said that male teachers can Express their ideas more freely than their female colleaques, also they are naturelly more dominant than female teachers, and they have less realistic but more critical opinions towards their principals because of the effects came from the leadership motive lays in their subconscious.Administrators who work closely to their principals think that they have friendly relationsWith their staff, encourage self confidence in them and have active participation in every action at school, but on contrary, teachers disagree with their ideas. It has been observed that administratiors in compare with the teachers have more positive opinions with regard to the point that school principals behave in a manner showing the importance they consider for common values of the school culture, know the school situation very well and accordingly try to make the alteration, hold meetings to declare the necessity of the alteration with its objectives and strategies and invite experts of alteration to the school to provide the staff with all necessary information.According to another observation, teachers disagree with the administrators who believe that principals convince the staff to avoid their unnecessary worries and concerns caused by confronting new unfamiliar situation and environment, know how to tackle the problems of some staff?s low performance by using their friendly relations, explain with certain words that alteration forces the learn of modern technology, make the staff feel how much they are important for the school, making plans during the period of alteration by asking the staff?s opinions, show the staff some tangible examples to make them believe that the alteration leads to the development of the school.Basing on this, the result is that the administrators? answers are more positive than the teachers? and they think more highly of the new situation of their schools, administrators are inclined to perceive the current situation at their schools more positive than it is, also they behave diplomatically and tactfully, because they work actively in a close position to their principals.According to the results of the research no great differences have been noticed in accordance with school kinds such as academic high schools, vocational high schools, private high schools or seniority and edeucational situation, however when it is regarded as school kinds, some differences have been noticed. These differences are mostly in the favour of academic and private high schools and contrary to this is the position of vocational high schools.