Date
7-31-2023
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Jose Arturo Puga
Keywords
New York State Education Department, NYS school mergers, school leaders, school leadership, school merger processes, school reorganization, organizational merger, organizational theory, organizational structure, organizational culture, organizational design and change, Master Plan for School District Reorganization Act, Central Rural Schools Act of 1914
Disciplines
Educational Administration and Supervision | Educational Leadership
Recommended Citation
Collazo, Olga Nelly, "Qualitative Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study: The Lived Experiences of School Leaders Who Have Worked Through a Merger" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 4657.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/4657
Abstract
This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study describes the lived experiences of school leaders who worked through the processes of school mergers in New York State. The central research question that guided the study was: What are the lived experiences of school leaders who worked through the processes of a school merger? In addition, guiding questions were implemented to understand the phenomenon of school mergers. The guiding questions are: How do school leaders maneuver and manage the organizational structures impacted by the processes of a school merger? What role do school leaders play in the environmental demands influencing the processes of a school merger? Organizational theory guided the study. Organizational theory is the study of how organizations operate and how they impact and are impacted by the environment in which they operate. Utilizing the three principles of organizational theory: organizational structure, culture, and design and change the study describes the lived experiences of school leaders who worked through the processes of school mergers. Study participants were selected through a participant survey screener. The study was conducted through purposeful criterion sampling and data collection methods using individual interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires. The transcendental phenomenological reduction process was used for data analysis. Keywords: merger, organizational theory, school leadership
