The Factors that Influence Bureaucracy and Professionalism in Schools: A Grounded Theory Study

Abstract

The aim of this study is to identify the factors that influence the interaction between bureaucracy and professionalism in schools and to develop a model of bureaucracy-professionalism interaction. This is a qualitative study carried out in grounded theory model. The study group consisted of 10 male and 10 female teachers who were working in Sivas province during the 2015-2016 school year. The theoretical saturation was reached in 20 teachers by adding participants to the study group until the number repeated by generic expressions was reached. The data were collected with a semi-structured interview form. Data are analyzed in three steps. The first stage is open coding; the second stage is axial coding and the final stage is selective coding. Regarding the interaction between professionalism and bureaucracy, teachers think that a school where there is no bureaucracy is not available, but that professionalism should gain importance. It was seen that the interaction between bureaucracy and professionalism existing in schools is integrated into issues such as programming-planning and implementation. So schools should regulate the school work and operations of school principals, without denying the existence and necessity of bureaucratic regulations.

Keywords: Professionalism, bureaucracy, grounded theory study, planning, programming, implementation