Diagnosing and Supporting a Culture of Organizational Learning in Scottish schools

Abstract

This paper reports an empirical study of the extent to which the 93 schools in a Scottish education authority were 'learning organizations'. A 22 item questionnaire to assess learning organization culture, defined as shared vision, openness to criticism, knowledge sharing and administrative support, was distributed to school staff. Analysis of the 753 replies indicated an overall conviction that these schools werde learning organizations, although school leaders were more likely to believe this than class teachers, and primary teachers more than teachers in secondary schools. The exception was the item 'opportunity to discuss best practice with staff from other schools', which the majority of staff believed was limited. Measures were developed to strengthen this aspect of the education authority's culture. (DIPF/Orig.)