Examining the relationship between teachers' perceived power distance with school administrators and school health

This study, aimed to find out the relationship between teachers' organizational power distance perception of school principles and school health, has been designed in survey model. The study was conducted with the participation of 880 teachers working in public pre-schools, primary, elemantary and high schools in central district of Çorum province in the 2023-2024 academic year. The research data were collected with "personal information form", "the Organizational Power Distance Scale" and "the Organizational Health Scale". Parametric tests (t test, ANOVA, Pearson corelation test) were used to analyze the data. When the results of the study were examined, it was determined that the dimension with the highest perceptions of teachers regarding organizational health was the organizational leadership dimension, followed by the environmental interaction, organizational integrity, organizational identity, and organizational product dimensions. Total organizational health mean scores were also above the mean. When examined in terms of individual variables, teachers' perceptions of school health showed significant differences in the total score and all sub-dimensions with respect to gender. These differences appear in the organizational integrity and organizational product sub-dimensions in terms of seniority. For the school type variable, significant differences are also found across all sub-dimensions. Finally, according to the branch variable, siginificant differences exist in the general score as well as in the organizational leadership, environmental interaction and organizational product sub-dimensions. It was also determined that teachers' perceptions of school health did not differ significantly with respect to age, marital status, or educational background. When power distance perceptions were examined, it was seen that the dimension with the highest mean score was acceptance of power, followed by acquiescence to power, instrumental use of power and legitimization of power. When analyzed in terms of personal variables, it was found that teachers' perceptions of power distance differed significantly in the dimensions of power acceptance and power acquiescence in terms of gender; in the dimension of power acceptance in terms of seniority; and in the dimension of power acquiescence in terms of seniority in the school where they work. In addition, it was determined that teachers' perceptions of power distance did not differ significantly according to age, marital status, education level and branch variables. Finally, a significant but low level positive relationship was found between the total scores of organizational health and the dimension of acceptance of power, and a significant but low level negative relationship was found between the dimension of instrumental use of power.