The effect of a reform on Secondary Education Entrance System on power bases shift and innovative culture

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of the reform on secondary education entrance system on the power sources used by the principals, power shifts and the relationship between power resources and innovativeness culture. The dissertation was designed as a quantitative study, and longitudinal panel study model was employed. The population of the study consists of secondary schools (high schools) that provide academic-oriented education in the central districts of a metropolitan area in the Mediterranean region. In the study, stratified cluster sampling technique was used. Two Science High Schools, 1 Social Sciences High School, 21 Anatolian High School and 4 Imam Hatip High School were included in the study. Five hundred fifty-one educators (teacher and administrator) participated in the first step of the study, and five hundred twenty-seven educators participated in the second step. The research data were collected via Global Power Bases Scale and Innovative Culture Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis for structure validity of the scales; percentage, frequency, mean, standard deviation, independent samples t-test, ANOVA, multiple regression analysis, Pearson correlation coefficient were used in the analysis of the data. According to the findings of the study, the perceptions of the participants about the power bases of the principals differed significantly in various subscales in terms of gender, marital status, type of duty, level of education, seniority, working time in school, type of school, being qualified high school or not, and level of school score. In the 1st and 2nd Step of the study (before and after the Qualified School reform), a significant difference was found in control power subscale in the Social Sciences High Schools; control power and coercive power subscales in the Anatolian High Schools; in control power subscale in the Anatolian Imam Hatip High Schools according to the types of schools, which reveal power shifts in these institutions. In the other high schools, which are not included in qualified schools list, significant differences were observed in effect power and control power subscales, and power shifts were determined. Significant differences were observed in control power and coercive power subscales in upper level schools, and power shifts were determined. Significant differences were found in the effect power subscale and Innovative Culture Scale in the lower level high schools. In the qualified schools and the other high schools, which are upper level and weren't listed as qualified schools, a significant difference was observed in control power subscale and power shifts were determined. In terms of the relationship between innovative culture and power bases, it was found that innovative culture had a significant negative correlation with the coercive power subscale and a significant positive correlation with all other subscales of Global Power Bases Scale. In conclusion, it can be stated that the use of coercive power by the school administrators affects innovative culture in organizations negatively. Besides, the results showed that the reform has led to changes in the power bases of school administrators in various aspects and these changes brought out positive power shifts in high schools which were determined as qualified schools. However, in the schools which weren't listed as qualified schools and in Anatolian High Schools and Anatolian Imam Hatip High Schools, the power shifts tended to be negative. As a result of the study, policy makers are suggested to give more power to principals on their practices so that they can motivate and reward teachers. Besides, schools which are effected negatively as a result of the reform should be given extra interest and support. The principals should be motivated not to use coercive power as it hinders innovative culture. Lastly, further longitudinal studies or systematic reviews and meta-analysis may be conducted to better understand the constructs which are left undiscovered in this study. Keywords: Power bases, Qualified schools, Innovative culture