The cultural dimensions of Pakistani teachers’ zone of acceptance regarding school principals’ authority

Abstract

ABSTRACT The focus of this case study is to examine the antecedents and consequences of teachers’ zone of acceptance regarding the authority of school principals within the framework of three cultural dimensions (individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and power distance). Participants were 20 teachers who work in two different schools in Lahore, Pakistan, and were formed by the maximum variation sampling method. The data of the study were obtained with a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers and analyzed with descriptive and content analysis techniques. The results of the research showed that participants saw the school principal as a strong authority in line with the cultural dimensions of individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and power distance. Accordingly, the participants developed a broad zone of acceptance regarding the authority of the school principal. In addition, it has been revealed that the type of the decision and the way the decision is taken are important factors in shaping the zone of acceptance. Accordingly, while teachers have a broad zone of acceptance in administrative decisions, they have a narrower zone of acceptance in professional decisions. Therefore, professional decisions are the area where there is the most challenged in terms of the school principal’s exercise of power.