"White elephant syndrome" in educational administration, according to school administrators and teachers working in public schools

The purpose of this research is to reveal the opinions of school administrators and teachers working in public schools regarding the "white elephant syndrome" in educational administration. For this purpose, a mixed research method was followed and an exploratory sequential design, one of the mixed method designs, was used. Since no previously developed measurement tool for white elephant syndrome in educational administration was found in the literature review, the "White Elephant Syndrome in Educational Administration Scale" was developed by the researcher to be used in the first phase of the research, in the quantitative dimension. Quantitative data of the study were collected and analyzed with the "White Elephant Syndrome in Educational Administration Scale", which consists of 22 items and 5 sub-dimensions. The population of the quantitative dimension of the research consists of school administrators and teachers working in public schools in Efeler district of Aydın province in the 2023-2024 academic year. According to the information received from the Efeler District Directorate of National Education, a total of 4181 people, including 123 school principals, 195 principals and deputy principals and 3863 teachers, work in public schools in the Efeler district of Aydın province. The sample consisted of 410 school administrators and teachers. General survey model was used to obtain participants' opinions on the "white elephant" phenomenon. According to the findings obtained from the quantitative dimension of the research; it was determined that the participants' opinions regarding the "white elephant" phenomenon were at the "Moderate" level in the overall scale. When the sub-dimensions of the scale are examined; it was determined that the participants' views on the "white elephant" phenomenon were "High" in the "efficiency", "planning" and "stakeholder" sub-dimensions, "Low" in the "awareness" sub-dimension, and "Moderate" in the "waste" sub-dimension. Additionally, while the participants' views on the "white elephant" phenomenon did not show a significant difference according to the "title" variable; it has been determined that there is a significant difference according to "gender", "age", "branch", "educational stage" and "professional seniority" variables. In the qualitative phase of the research, phenomenology, one of the qualitative research designs, was used. The study group of the qualitative dimension of the research consisted of 4 administrators and 8 teachers working in public schools in Efeler district of Aydın province in the 2023-2024 academic year, determined through maximum diversity sampling, one of the purposeful sampling techniques. After the evaluation of the quantitative data, a semi-structured interview form called "White Elephant Syndrome in Educational Administration Interview Form", consisting of a total of 11 questions excluding the probe questions and a personal information section, was prepared by the researcher, and qualitative data were collected through this form. The data obtained was analyzed using the content analysis method. According to the findings obtained from the qualitative dimension of the research; the opinions of the participants were examined under 6 themes: "Metaphors", "Opinions on the Existence of White Elephant Syndrome", "Effects of White Elephant Syndrome on Education", "Administrator Characteristics", "Ethical Problems Caused by White Elephant Syndrome" and "Suggestions for Preventing White Elephant Syndrome". In the qualitative dimension of the research, it stands out as a striking finding that all of the school administrators and teachers who participated in the research stated that there are white elephants in the practices of the Ministry of National Education. Other findings that draw attention in the qualitative dimension include the findings that merit should be given importance to those who will be appointed as administrators in educational organizations, that administrators in educational organizations do not take into account the opinions of stakeholders, and that the needs of schools should be determined separately by the Ministry of Education in order to prevent white elephants in educational administration. In accordance with the results of the research, suggestions were developed for practitioners and for researchers.