TEACHER-PUPIL CONTROL IDEOLOGY AND SCHOOL ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE IN OPEN EDUCATION AND TRADITIONAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

This study examined the relationships among teacher control ideology (PCI) school organizational climate, and open education and traditional education schools. It was hypothesized that: (1) Teachers in open education schools would be more humanistic in PCI than teachers in traditional schools. (2) Open education schools would have a more open organizational climate than traditional schools. (3) Schools with more open organizational climates would have teachers who are more humanistic in PCI than teachers in schools with more closed climates.;The sample consisted of 208 teachers from a large urban school district. Eighty-three of the teachers were from five open education schools and 125 were from five traditional schools. Each school was visited and appeared to be conducting instructional programs consistent with its reputed style (open education or traditional).;A t test was used to test hypothesis three. All other hypotheses were treated using an analysis of variance.;All hypotheses were supported. In addition, school by school rankings showed the following: (1) All of the five open education schools were more humanistic in pupil control orientations than their traditional counterparts. (2) Four of the five open education schools had more open organizational climates than the traditional schools. (3) Four of the five open education schools were both more open in organizational climate and more humanistic in PCI. (4) Four of the five open education schools had lower disengagement scores. However, there was perceived low disengagement in two of the five traditional schools. (5) Esprit scores were higher in four of the five open education schools. (6) Thrust scores were higher in all of the open education schools.;Three additional null hypotheses dealt with differences between the open education schools and the traditional schools in each of the three, subtest areas (Esprit, Thrust, and Disengagement) of the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (OCDQ) which provided the schools' climate scores. The PCI Form was used to measure teacher orientations toward pupil control on a humanistic custodial continuum.