Influence on decision-making. To measure teachers’ perceptions of their influence on decision-making, the SASS questionnaire contained seven questions about influence over school policy and six about control over planning and teaching. Each question used a Likert-type scale, with 1 = no influence or control and 4 = a great deal of influence or control. Analysis was conducted using an independent samples t-test. Results for each variable were found to have significance levels at p < .001 (see Table 18). As shown in the table, few teachers nationwide, in either regular or disadvantaged schools, perceived they have much influence over teacher evaluation policies or hiring new teachers. Teachers in disadvantaged schools and in regular schools perceived they had nearly the same amount of influence over setting school discipline. Half of teachers in each building type perceived they had moderate to a great deal of influence over setting performance standards for their students. Forty-four percent in each school type perceived they had those same levels of influence over professional development within their schools. Curriculum was the aspect teachers nationwide felt they had the most influence over, and we can conclude that more regular …show more content…
Teacher control over grading students was an aspect of decision-making teaches felt they had moderate to a great deal of control over, with at more than 95% of teachers in each school type selecting these higher levels of control. Selecting teaching techniques was another area over which teachers felt that had moderate to a great deal of control. Teachers in both school types felt they had moderate to a great deal of control over discipline within their classrooms, but teachers in regular schools felt they had more control than did those serving disadvantaged