Organisational rules in schools: teachers’ opinions about functions of rules, rule-following and breaking behaviours in relation to their locus of control

Abstract

The main aim of this research is to examine teachers’ opinions about functions of school rules, reasons for rule-breaking and results of rule-breaking in relation to their locus of control, gender, age, seniority and branch. 350 public elementary school teachers in Ankara are included in the correlational survey model study. According to the teachers, the main function of school rules is to “provide regularity”. Classroom teachers find school rules more functional than branch teachers. Teachers with internal locus of control find school rules more functional than externals and junior teachers find school rules more functional than senior teachers. The main reason for teachers’ rule-breaking is “being uninvolved in rulemaking process”. When teachers do not follow school rules, they come across with cold behaviours of the school administrators.