C. John Tarter

Positive Psychology and Educational Administration An Optimistic Research Agenda

The purpose of this essay is to develop a research agenda based on the relatively new perspective of positive psychology. The authors first offer a brief history of positive psychology including a working definition. Next, they make the distinction between humanistic and positive psychology, with emphasis on the research methods of positive psychologists. Then the authors examine the emerging impact of positive psychology on organizational studies and education. Finally, they turn to a few current examples of the utility of positive psychology and research to inform administration and guide practice.

Enabling School Structure, Collective Responsibility, and a Culture of Academic Optimism: Toward a Robust Model of School Performance in Taiwan.

Purpose – The purpose of this research is twofold: to test a theory of academic optimism in Taiwan elementary schools and to expand the theory by adding new variables, collective responsibility and enabling school structure, to the model.Design/methodology/approach – Structural equation modeling was used to test, refine, and expand an organizational path model of student achievement first developed in the USA.Findings – The proposed organizational model was supported in Taiwan and was consistent with the initial studies done in the USA. Further, two concepts were added to the model, enabling structure and collective responsibility, both of which had significant indirect effects on student achievement through academic optimism. Moreover, the theoretical foundations (efficacy, trust, and academic emphasis) of the latent construct of academic optimism were confirmed again in this sample of schools in Taiwan.Originality/value – The findings support an organizational model of student achievement, which has app...

Enabling school structures, collegial trust and academic emphasis Antecedents of professional learning communities

This study tested the role of enabling school structures, collegial trust and academic emphasis in the development of professional learning communities (PLCs) in a low-income school district. The empirical study was based upon the perceptions of teachers and principals as provided by survey responses (N = 67 schools). While enabling school structures, collegial trust and academic emphasis simultaneously contributed to the explanation of PLCs, only structure and trust had a unique effect on PLCs with structure having the larger contribution.

Power Principles for Educational Leaders: Research into Practice.

Purpose – The aim of this article is to examine the empirical literature on irrationality and identify a set of concepts to help administrators cope with irrationality in decision making.Design/methodology/approach – This analysis is a synthesis of the selected research literature on irrationality.Findings – A set of seven concepts and propositions was indentified that are critical in understanding the influence on irrationality on decision making.Research limitations/implications – The propositions proposed are ways to deal constructively with irrational behavior in decision making, but it is only a beginning.Practical implications – The concepts, propositions, and their application to practice are not well‐known in educational administration and are useful tools for educational leaders.Originality/value – The paper discusses the power of seven concepts: perception; simplification; decisiveness; deadlines; norms; ownership; and emotional expectation.