Examination of Primary School Teachers' Political Skills and School Climate Levels

Abstract

The study investigated what was the levels of political skills and school climate of primary school teachers and whether political skills and school climate differ by gender, age, branch, educational attainment, professional seniority and whether the political skills predict school climate. The correlational survey model was used. The research was conducted with the 223 teachers from primary schools in Istanbul. The political skills scale and school climate scale were used in this study. The data were analyzed using the t-test, ANOVA, regression and descriptive analysis. As a result of the research, it was found that political skills and school climate scores of teachers are moderate. While a significant difference was found between the score of political skills of teachers and the gender variable, no significant difference was found between political skills and age, branch, educational attainment, and professional seniority. There was no significant difference between school climate and gender, age, branch, educational status and professional seniority. It was determined that political skills significantly predicted school climate.

Keywords

• Political Skill
• School Climate
• Primary education.

References

1. Acet, A. (2006). The relationship between school climate and decisionmaking processes in the primary school. (Unpublished Master's Thesis), Institute of Educational Sciences, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir.
2. Alev, S. (2019). The investigation relationship between school culture and political skill: The mediating role of the proactive personality. Mersin University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 15(2), 455-472.
3. Altuntaş, B., Demirdağ, S., Yücel, H. (2020). Examination of the relationship between management skills of school principals and school climate perceived by parents. AJER-Academia Journal of Educational Research, 5(2), 254-269.
4. Aslan, H., Çalık, T., & Er, E. (2019). Examining the primary school teachers views on teacher leadership and political skills. Elementary Education Online, 18(3), 1087-1098. doi:10.17051/ilkonline.2019.610689
5. Aslan, H., & Pektaş, V. (2017). Political skill levels of teachers working at primary, secondary and high schools. Scientific Educational Studies, 1(1), 85-100.
6. Baş, T. (2013). How to prepare a survey? How is it applied? How to evaluate? (Seventh ed.). Ankara: Seçkin Publishing.
7. Baykal, İ. (2007). Examining the organizational climate of primary schools in terms of some variables. (Unpublished Master's Thesis), Social Sciences Institute, Ege University, İzmir.
8. Biçer, Y. G. & Özgenel, M. (2020). The relationship between school administrators' epistemological beliefs and political skills. International Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies (IntJCES), 6(2), 507-523.

9. Bing, M. N., Davison, H. K., Minor, I., Novicevic, M. M., & Frink, D. D. (2011). The prediction of task and contextual performance by political skill: A meta-analysis and moderator test. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79(2), 563-577.
10. Bozkurt, B. N. (2019). A factor affecting school happiness: Teachers' political skills. (Unpublished Master Thesis). Social Sciences Institute, Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, İstanbul.
11. Bostanci, A.B. (2020). The relationship between teachers’ political skills and work engagement. International Journal of Education & Literacy Studies, 8(4), 53-63.
12. Braddy, P. W. & Campbell, M. (2014). Using political skill to maximize and leverage work relationships. Center For Creative Leadership, (Accesed Date: 19.11.2021) https://cclinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/usingpoliticalskill.pdf
13. Cingöz, A (2013). A study on determining the effects of political skills and self-monitoring on perceived career success. The Journal of Social and Economic Research, 13(26), 153-179.
14. Çelik, V. (2002). Classroom management. Ankara: Nobel Publication Distribution.
15. Çıtak, M. (2011). The relationship between political skill and organizational commitment: A research on managers. (Unpublished Master Thesis), Social Sciences Institute, Marmara University, İstanbul.
16. Çolak, İ. & Altınkurt, Y. (2017). The relationship between school climate and teacher autonomy behaviors. Educational Management in Theory and Practice, 23(1), 33-71. doi: 10.14527/kuey.2017.002
17. Daily, S.M., Mann, M.J., Kristjansson, A.L., Smith, M.L., & Zullig, K.J. (2019). School climate and academic achievement in middle and high school students. J Sch Health. 89(3), 173-180. DOI: 10.1111/josh.12726
18. Esposito, C. (1999) Learning in urban blight: School climate and ıts effect on the school performance of urban, minority, low-ıncome children. School Psychology Review, 28(3), 365-377. DOI: 10.1080/02796015.1999.12085971
19. Ferris, G. R., Perrewé, P. L., Anthony, W. P., & Gilmore, D. C. (2000). Political skill at work. Organizational Dynamics, 28(4), 25–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0090-2616(00)00007-3
20. Ferris, G. R., Treadway, D. C., Kolodinsky, R. W., Hochwarter, W. A., Kacmar, C, J., Douglas, C., & Frink, D. D. (2005). Development and validation of the political skill inventory. Journal of Management, 31(1), 126-152.
21. Ferris, G. R., Davidson, S. L., Perrewe, P. L. ve Atay S. (2010). Political competence in business life. (2nd Edition). Istanbul: Namar Publications.
22. Günbayı, İ. (2007). School climate and teachers’ perceptions on climate factors: Research into nine urban high schools. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – TOJET, 6(3), 70-78.
23. Hoy, W. K., Tarter, C. J., & Hoy, A. W. (2006). Academic optimism of schools: A force for student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 43(3), 425-446
24. İlğan, A., Çiftçi, T., & İlmaz, M. (2020) Relationship between perception about school climate and professional tension sources of secondary school teachers. Journal of Contemporary Administrative Sciences, 7(1), 4-18.
25. İşler, T., Bir, Y., Koc, M. (2018). Analyzing woman executives’ political skills according to the age factor. PressAcademia Procedia (PAP), 7(1), 198-203.
26. Kaplan, V. & Cemaloğlu, N. (2020). An investigation into the political skills of school administrators in terms of some variables. International Journal of Management and Administration, 4(8), 282-397.
27. Katı, Y. (2016). The relationship between political skills of emloyees and career success: The mediating effect of leader member Exchange. (Unpublished Master Thesis). Department of Business Administration, Balıkesir University, Balıkesir.
28. Kavgacı, H. (2010). Organizational climate and school-family relations in primary schools. (Unpublished Master Thesis). Education Scıences Instıtute, Gazi University, Ankara.
29. Kılıç, M. A. (2013). Bir eğitim yöneticisinin günlüğü. Marmara Üniversitesi 8. Ulusal Eğitim Yönetimi Kongresi Bildiri Özetleri, Marmara Üniversitesi Yayınları, 27-28.
30. Kolodinsky, R. W., Hochwarter, W. A., & Ferris, G. R. (2004). Nonlinearity in the relationship between political skill and work outcomes: Convergent evidence from three studies. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65(2), 294-308.
31. Kurt, Ş. & Bostancı, B., A. (2018). Öğretmenlerin politik yetileri ile okulların akademik iyimserlik düzeyleri arasındaki ilişki. E-Uluslararası Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi, 9(3), 119-135. DOI: 10.19160/ijer.491908
32. Nair, A. (2018). The relationship between leadership styles and political skills of the school principals (Tekirdağ example). (Unpublished Master Thesis). Social Sciences Institute, Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim Unıversity
33. Özgenel, M. & Bozkurt, B. N. (2020a). The political skills of teachers as a factor predicting school happiness. Turkish Journal of Educational Studies, 7(2), 130-149.
34. Özgenel, M. & Bozkurt, B. N. (2020b). The Relationship between teachers' political skills and problem solving skills. Maarif Mektepleri International Journal of Educational Sciences, 4(1), 1-15. doi:10.46762/mamulebd.731052
35. Özdemir, M. & Gören, S.Ç. (2015). The study of reliability and validity of the political skill inventory in educational organizations. Educational Management in Theory and Practice, 21(4), 521-536. doi:10.14527/kuey.2015.020
36. Özdemir, M. & Gören, S. Ç. (2016). Investigating the relationship between political skill and psychological capital according to opinions of teachers. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 31(2), 333-345.
37. Özgenel, M. & Nair, A. (2020). A factor that predictor leadership styles of school principals: Polıtical skills. Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Education Faculty, 56, 182-205.
38. Öztürk, N. (1995). The relation between elemantary school teacher perceptions of school climate and stressors. (Unpublished Master's Thesis), Institute of Educational Sciences, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir.
39. Özdemir, S., Sezgin, F., Şirin, H., Karip, E., & Erkan, S. (2010). Examining the variables predicting primary school students’perceptions of school climate. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 38, 213-224.
40. Saygılı, G. (2010). Examination of the relationship between teachers' personality traits and school climate perceptions (Sample of Sancaktepe district of Istanbul province). (Unpublished Master's Thesis), Social Sciences Institute, Yeditepe University, İstanbul.
41. Sezgin, F. & Kilinç, A. Ç. (2011). Examining primary school teachers' perceptions of organizational climate. GÜ, Gazi Journal of Educational Science, 31(3), 743-757.
42. Tabachnick, B.G. & Fidell, L.S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (sixth ed.). Pearson, Boston.
43. Todd, S. Y., Harris, K. J., Harris, R. B. & Wheeler, A. R. (2009). Career success implications of political skill. The Journal of Social Psychology, 149(3), 279-304.
44. Şentürk, C., & Sağnak, M. (2012). Ilköğretim okulu müdürlerinin liderlik davranişlari ile okul iklimi arasindaki ilişki. Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 10(1), 29-43.
45. Varlı, S. (2015). İlkokul müdürlerinin liderlik davranışları ile okul iklimi ilişkisi: Sakarya ili örneği (Unpublished Master's Thesis), Instıtute of Educatıonal Scıences, Sakarya University, Sakarya
46. Yıldız, K. (2018). Political skill and social loafing behavior of university students. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 10(2), 59-80.
47. Yıldıztaşı, B. M. (2017). Examination of the relationship between political skill and organızational burnout according to the teachers opinions in middle schools (Yalova sample). (Unpublished Master Thesis). Department of Educational Sciences, Hacettepe University, Ankara.