Obstacles Hindering Teachers’ Participation in Decision Making in Secondary Schools in the State of Kuwait

Abstract

This study aims at identifying obstacles hindering teachers’ participation in the decision making process in secondary schools in the State of Kuwait, inclusive of certain variables. For the purposes of this study, a descriptive method has been employed in order to achieve the aims. The data were collected by designing a questionnaire consisting of 24 items on three key areas: Teacher, Principal, and Regulations and Laws. The validity of the questionnaire was reviewed by specialists, and Cronbach’s alpha was used as an index of reliability. The sample consisted of 924 randomly selected male and female teachers who work in secondary schools in Kuwait. The results of the study revealed a greater number of obstacles related to teachers, whilst there were fewer obstacles related to regulations and laws. The results also revealed that there were significant differences shown in the variables of gender, qualifications, and experience. According to the variable of gender, the results showed that male teachers are more eager with participation in the decision making process than females. Moreover, the results show that there are significant differences due to the variable of qualification in favor of Bachelor degree holders and bdue to the variable of experience in favor of the ones with less than 5 years of experience. In addition to that, the interaction between the variables of gender and qualification was in favor of individuals with less experience, and the variables of qualification and experience was in favor of individuals with less qualified and experienced. The study recommends future action to reconsider the laws, regulations, and terms that determine the relationship between administration and teachers, and to encourage teachers to participate in decision making. In addition, holding pre-service training for principals could improve teachers' decision making skills and team work skills, and hence, encourage teachers to further participate. This would contribute to obtaining a degree of participation in decision making, as a standard for evaluating both teachers and principals.