Abstract:

This study was conducted as a descriptive and cross-sectional type in order to examine the adequacy of innovation of secondary school administrators based on the opinions of teachers. The study population consists of 1789 teachers working at secondary schools of Beylikdüzü district of the city of Istanbul during the 2012 - 2013 academic year and the sampling group of the study is formed by 309 teachers who were selected by simple random sampling method and who volunteered to participate in the study. The study was conducted in accordance with the general survey research model. In this study, data were collected in person by going to school teachers and by using the scale of innovation competencies of school administrators developed by the researcher by making use of the literature on the subject. In accordance with the research problem and sub-problems, the mean, standard deviation, t test, one-way analyses of variance were used. In this study, the teachers stated that during the process of change, the employees were offered an environment in which they can show their talents, at the school, rather than competition, cooperation was considered to be the best efficiency way, the school's administrators clearly explained the need for change, the school's administrators encouraged the employees to adopt innovations, decisions taken at the school and practices  were consistent with each other during the process of change and the decisions taken at the school during the process of change met current ethical and moral criteria. The teachers also stated that school administrators did not execute school works in secret, all channels of communication were open, feedback was provided to the employees without delay, loss of communication was not allowed, they supported team work so that employees can work together for a common solution, during the process of change they often had face to face contact with employees, and there was an effective communication system between the school and the environment.   EXTENDED ABSTRACT The study was carried out to analyse secondary education school administrators’ innovation competencies based on the viewpoints of teachers. The school administrators’ innovation competency is researched according to teachers’ viewpoints in the dimensions of sensibility to change, communication, leadership and motivation. Furthermore, it was also investigated whether or not teacher’s viewpoints change depending on gender, marital status, education level and total period of service in accordance with school administrators’ innovation competency. The population of the study comprises 1789 teachers who work in secondary schools in the district Beylikdüzü in İstanbul in 2012-2013 education semester. The scale was implemented to 310 teachers and the majority of the teachers who attended in this study were female, married and aged in between 31-40. Moreover, majority of the teachers are graduates of faculty of education, branch teachers, and majority of them have been serving for between 11-20 years. The study was conducted according to general descriptive research model. The data in the study were collected by making use of the literature related to the field, by utilising the scale of school administrators’ innovation competency which is developed by the researcher. In the study, the teachers stated that the people working in the period of change are presented the environment to present different abilities, that that cooperation instead of competition at the school is the most productive way is accepted, that the need of school administrators for change was clearly explained, that the school administrators encourage the workers to adopt the innovations, that the decisions taken and the applications at the school are consistent in the period of change, and that the decisions taken in the period of change are appropriate for the current ethical and moral scales. The teachers expressed that the school administrators do not work secretly, that every sort of communication channel of theirs is open, that they give their staff feedback without any delay, they are always in touch, that they frequently communicate with their workers face  to face in the period of change, and that there is an effective communication channel between the school and the environment. The teachers expressed that most of the people are satisfied with the interpersonal communication during the period of change, that the school administrators show a democratic leadership example during the period of change, that they have a strong vision, that they know their workers well and they can easily decide who can work with which method, that they have the power to evoke their workers by affecting them, that the workers are actively engaged in taking changing decisions at the school, that the school administrators play a role of leading the new workers for the school so that they can adapt to the school culture and the period of change, and that the school administrators share leadership for the school improvement and they strengthen the workers. The teachers illustrated that the school administrators put emphases on the studies which support the teachers’ goal of excelling at their career, that they appreciate the person at the end of the mission completed successfully, that they show essential effort to motive the workers in the direction of the change goals, that they appreciate the people successful in their work, that they are helpful for the workers to come over the challenges associated with their work, and that they consider that they give prizes to those who make successful works. The male teachers find the school administrators’ innovation competency more efficient than the female ones do. The classroom teachers find the school administrators’ “out-of-school communication” more efficient than the branch teachers do. As a consequence, it can be suggested that in-service training about innovation to be organised for the behalf of teachers and school administrators on certain times, and that both the school administrators and the teachers work at innovation studies as a team, that at the same level public and private schools, the school administrators’ viewpoints for their innovation competency to be analysed and the data collected to be compared.    

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