Open AccessUnderstanding the Organizational Implementation Context of Schools: A Qualitative Study of School District Administrators, Principals, and Teachers
Author(s) -
Jill Locke,
Kristine Lee,
Clayton R. Cook,
Lindsay Frederick,
Cheryl A. Vázquez-Colón,
Mark G. Ehrhart,
Gregory A. Aarons,
Chayna Davis,
Aaron R. Lyon
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
school mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.02
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1866-2633
pISSN - 1866-2625
DOI - 10.1007/s12310-018-9292-1
Subject(s) - focus group , organizational citizenship behavior , context (archaeology) , construct (python library) , organisation climate , school climate , psychology , conceptual framework , implementation research , pedagogy , qualitative research , public relations , sociology , political science , organizational commitment , computer science , paleontology , social science , psychiatry , anthropology , psychological intervention , biology , programming language
Key features of the school environment can have a significant impact on teachers' effective use of evidence-based practices (EBP), yet implementation-specific organizational constructs have rarely been studied in the education sector. This study examined three aspects of the organizational implementation context (implementation leadership, climate, and citizenship behavior), which have been conceptualized and validated in other service settings. Focus groups with central office administrators, principals, and teachers were conducted to understand the applicability and conceptual boundaries of these organizational constructs in schools. Focus group transcripts were coded, and the results indicated both similarities and differences in their conceptualizations of implementation leadership, climate, and citizenship behavior in school. The data indicated that: (1) implementation leadership was largely present in schools with the addition of Distributed Leadership; (2) two implementation climate constructs were most clearly present (i.e., Focus on EBP and Educational Support for EBP) and two additional constructs (i.e., Existing Support to Deliver EBP and Prioritization of EBP) emerged as part of this construct; and (3) implementation citizenship behavior (Helping Others and Keeping Informed) was consistently acknowledged across schools and two new components emerged (i.e., Information Sharing and Observation/Feedback). Recommendations to researchers and community stakeholders are discussed.