A Descriptive Approach to Measuring a School Culture

Ronnie DetrichWing Institute

ABAI Seattle, Washington

2012

Goals for Today

• Describe a method for directly measuring cultural practices.

• Suggest analytical tasks based on the descriptive data.

• Review variables that influence adoption of new practices.

Why Culture Change?

• Educational reform efforts often emphasize changing the culture of the school as part of change process. Recognizes the importance of social influence in schools.

• Methodology for determining what practices require change or how to change the culture has not been well described.

Defining Cultural Practice

• Cultural practice: behavior that most members of the defined culture do. Both overt and verbal behavior. Can be measured via direct observation and indirect

methods (surveys). Measurement method depends on behavior of interest.

Metrics for Measuring Cultural Practice

• Incidence rates: frequency that specific behaviors occur within a period of

time.

• Prevalence: percent of population that engages in behavior.

Example

• Incidence Example: CBM probes completed = 10 per 2 weeks. Goal: 20 students x 20 teachers x 2 weeks = 800 probes.

• Prevalence 20% (4/20) of teachers completed at least one CBM probe

in 2 week period. Goal: 100% (20/20) of teachers complete CBM probes

every 2 week.

Some Assumptions

• If behavior occurs at high rates and has widespread prevalence it can be assumed that: There are specific contingencies within the culture that

support the behavior.

• Changing cultural practices requires changing the contingencies.

Possible Interactions

Hig

hLo

wLowHigh

Cultural Practice• Inadequate Frequency

Cultural Practice

Not Cultural Practice• Subset of population

engages in behavior• Effective contingencies

in place for this subset of culture

Not Cultural Practice

• No contingencies to support behavior

IncidencePr

eval

ence

Possible Interactions

• Inadequate FrequencyHig

hLo

wLowHigh

Cultural PracticeCultural Practice

Not Cultural Practice• Subset of population

engages in behavior effective

• Contingencies in place for this subset of culture

Not Cultural Practice

• No contingencies to support behavior

IncidencePr

eval

ence

Analytical Task

Hig

hLo

wLowHigh

Barriers to higher frequencies?• Lack of time?• Lack of resources?• Unclear expectations?

What contingencies support these practices?• What maintains these contingencies?

Differences betweenhigh/low performers?

Barriers to greater prevalence/incidence?• Verbal repertoires?• Training?• Unclear expectations?

IncidencePr

eval

ence

• Training?• Experience?• Peer group?

Measuring Verbal Behavior

• Some occasions prevalence more important measure than frequency. Verbal behavior measures

Example: “attitudes” toward data-based decision making. Task is to identify breadth and depth of “attitude.”

Example: Aarons (2005) measured attitude toward EBP among mental health workers.

Verbal behavior does not always correspond to overt behavior. Important to measure all behavior not just verbal.

Ferster (1967) what people do more important than what they say.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Strongly StronglyAgree Disagree

Analyzing the Distribution

Changing School Cultures

1. Begin by specifying what culture practices are to occur.

2. Measure existing culture to determine match with preferred cultural practices.

3. Cannot change culture without specific change targets.

4. Analyze possible controlling variables to initiate change process.

Influencing Adoption

• Harris (1979): practices are adopted and maintained to the extent that they have favorable, fundamental outcomes at a lower cost than alternative practices.

• Rogers (2003): Diffusion of innovation is a social process, even more than a technical matter.

• The adoption rate of innovation is a function of its compatibility with the values, beliefs, and past experiences of the individuals in the social system.

Principles for Effective Diffusion:Improving the Odds (Rogers, 2003)

• Innovation has to solve a problem that is important for the “client.”

• Innovation must have relative advantage over current practice.

• It is necessary to gain support of the opinion leaders if adoption is to reach critical mass and become self-sustaining.

Example of Successful Culture Change

• School-wide Positive Behavior Support Do not engage unless 80% of faculty agree to make

student behavior priority for 3 years. Usually local champion responsible for bringing to school.

Solutions are developed by school leadership teams. Goal is to increase local capacity.