The Extent of Engaging Public School Teachers in Amman in the Decision Making Process from their Perspective

The present research aimed to explore the extent of engaging public school teachers in Amman in the decision making process from their perspective.  To be specific, it aimed to explore the engagement of those teachers in making decision related to teachers, students, curricula and local community.    A purposive sample was selected involving 450 female and male teachers. Those teacher were chosen from 25 public primary schools and 25 public secondary schools in Amman.   Questionnaire form were passed to the chosen teachers by hand. They were fully retrieved.  However, 2 forms were excluded due to having items that aren’t answered. Thus, the final sample consists from 448 female and male teachers. SPSS software was used. It was found that the extent of engaging public school teachers in Amman in the decision making process is low in all the area jointly. The extent of engaging public school teachers in making local community-related decisions is moderate. The extent of engaging public school teachers in making decisions related to teachers, students and curricula is low. The researcher recommends developing plans by the Ministry of Education in Jordan to ensure that teachers are highly involved in the decision making process. Keywords : engagement, public schools, teachers, Amman, decision making, perspective DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-30-13 Publication date: October 31 st 2020

developing such policies (Smylie & Tuermer, 1992) Engaging teachers in the decision making process shall enable decision makers in schools to perceive any problem from various perspectives. It shall enable the decision makers in schools to pay attention to all the aspects of any problem. In fact, no one is capable of paying attention to all the aspects of a specific problem by himself/herself without consulting others (Al-Shaqsi, 2005). Such engagement shall provide teachers with opportunities to express their views and opinions. It shall provide teachers with opportunities to make suggestions for improving their work conditions and facilitating their communication with the principal. It shall provide principals with support and assistance that facilitate the processes of doing tasks by them. It shall make teachers feel that they serve as valuable resources in the schools they work at (Al-Sofyani, 2012) Engaging teachers in the decision making process shall create a convenient workplace environment. It promotes acceptance among teachers for change (Al-Sofyani, 2012). Such engagement shall promote trust between the principal and the teachers (Herz Allah, 2007). Due to the significance of such engagement, the researcher of the present study believes that it's necessary to shed a light on the reality of such engagement, especially in developing countries. That is because there is a high need for developing the educational systems in such countries. Thus, the researcher aimed to investigate the extent of engaging public school teachers in Amman in the decision making process from their perspective.

Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the extent of engaging public school teachers in Amman in the decision making process from their perspective.

Question:
This study aimed to answer the question mentioned below: What is the extent of engaging public school teachers in Amman in the decision making process from their perspective?

Significance
The present study is significant because: -It provides plan developers in the Ministry of Education in Jordan with information that can be used for developing effective plans for empowering teachers and engaging them in the process of making school-related decisions.
-It contributes to promoting awareness about the significance of having teachers engaged in the process of making school-related decisions.
-It promotes awareness among officials in the Ministry of Education in Jordan about the significance of providing principals with courses about the engagement of teachers in the process of making school-related decisions

Limits
The present study was conducted during the first semester of the academic year (2020/2021) in 25 public primary schools and 25 public secondary schools in Amman.

Definition of Terms:
-Decision making process (theatrical definition): It is a goal oriented process that aims to determine the problem and suggest solutions for addressing it with incurring the least possible cost, dedicating the least effort and showing the highest efficiently (Al-Arabi, 2014). -Decision making process (empirical definition): It refers to the decision making process that is carried out in public schools in Amman.

Theatrical framework
Engaging teachers in the decision making process shall improve the teachers' morale and increase their satisfaction with their jobs. It shall positively affect the teachers' performance and improve the quality of the provided education. That is because such engagement shall make teachers feel that their views are significant and valuable at the workplace. (Al-Fa'oori, 2004). Such engagement shall lead to allocating responsibilities and tasks to several teachers and administrators instead of allocating them to one of them. Thus, it shall lead to reduce the work load of each teacher (Al-Shaqsi, 2005).
Engaging teachers in the decision making process shall contribute to providing schools with human resources who are highly qualified. That is because the teachers shall be involved in the process of choosing the training courses that meet their needs. It's because the teachers shall be involved in the process of choosing the incentives that encourage them to develop themselves professionally (Al-Anzi, 2006). Such engagement shall positively affect the students' academic achievement and the organizational performance of the school. That is because such engagement shall lead to making decisions that take the students' needs and interests into consideration (Wadesango, 2012) Such engagement shall positively affect the teachers' motivation to work. That is because they shall feel that their views are given attention and considered significant. Such engagement shall improve their decision making skills. It shall promote creativity and a sense of initiative among teachers. That is because teachers shall compete with each other to propose the most creative ideas while making the decision. Such engagement shall positively affect the partnership and relationship between teachers and principals (Bayaga and Wadesango, 2013) Such engagement shall lead to promoting trust and harmony among teachers and principals. That is because such engagement shall positively the teachers' feelings towards the principal and loyalty to the school they work at. Such engagement shall positively affect the long-term planning in the school and the quality of the decisions made by the school principal. That is because such engagement shall enable principals to benefit from the expertise that teachers have (Bayaga and Wadesango, 2013) Such engagement shall improve the school's performance effectiveness and efficiency and the productivity of teachers in the school. It improves the ability of the school management to respond rapidly to changes and problems. It improves the ability of the school management to seize the available opportunities. It shall provide the school management with various alternatives. That is because such engagement shall provide the school management with various views. Such engagement shall improve the school outcomes. That is because such engagement shall enable the school management to make the right decision on the right time (Bayaga and Wadesango, 2013). Such engagement shall make the workplace environment at school a friendly one due to having harmony among principal and teachers (Bayaga and Wadesango, 2013). It shall reduce the teachers' feelings of stress (Wadesango, 2017). Al-Sofyani (2012) aimed to explore the degree to which secondary school teachers are engaged in the decision making process in Taif, Saudi Arabia. To be specific, he aimed to explore that in terms of the decisions related to students, teachers, curricula, local community, financial issues & school facilities. He adopted a descriptive analytical approach. He used a questionnaire. A stratified random sample was chosen. It consists from 380 teachers. Questionnaire forms are distributed to them. 360 form are retrieved and 354 ones of those are valid for analysis. Several results were concluded. For instance, the degree to which secondary school teachers are engaged in the decision making process is low in all the areas jointly. The extent of engaging those teachers in making studentsrelated decisions is moderate. The extent of engaging those teachers in making decisions related to teachers, curricula, local community, financial issues or school facilities is low Barakat et al. (2015) aimed to explore the degree to which school teachers are engaged in the decision making process in Lattakia, Syria. They adopted a descriptive approach and employed a survey. The sample consists from 371 female and male teachers. The latter scholars found that the degree to which teachers are engaged in the process of making decisions related to students, teachers, curricula, local community, financial issues and school building is high. There are significant differences between the teachers' extent of engagement in the decision making process which can be attributed to experience and academic qualifications. Sarafidou and Chatziioannidis (2013) aimed to explore the degree to which primary school teachers are engaged in the decision making process in Greece. They used a questionnaire for obtaining data from 143 teachers. Those teachers were chosen from several primary schools located in different areas in Greece. The latter scholars found that primary school teachers in Greece are highly engaged in the process of making decisions related to students and teachers. The extent of engaging those teachers in the process of making administrative decisions is low. The extent of engaging teachers in the decision making process affects the job satisfaction and self-efficacy levels of teachers. Mosheti (2013) aimed to explore the degree to which teachers are engaged in the decision making process in Botswana. 221 teachers were sampled. A survey was employed for data collection. SPSS software was employed. Several findings were reached. For instance, teachers are highly engaged in the process of making decisions related to guiding students to achieve academic progress and make future career choices. Teachers aren't highly engaged in making decisions related to school budget, governance, and staff. Such engagement shall improve the teachers' satisfaction and commitment. Alghamdi (2020) aimed to explore the degree to which teachers are engaged in the decision making process in Riyadh. He aimed to explore whether there is a significant relationship between the level of such engagement and the principal's leadership style. He selected a random sample that consists from 325 teachers. A descriptive approach was adopted to conduct the study. They used a questionnaire. They employed the SPSS software for having the needed data collected. The latter scholar found that the degree to which teachers are engaged in the decision making process in Riyadh is high. He also found that there is a negative relationship between authoritarian leadership and such engagement. However, a positive relationship exists between such engagement and social leadership.

Empirical studies
Hollyns (2017) aimed to explore the degree to which the public secondary school teachers are engaged in the decision making process in Delta State, Nigeria. He aimed to explore the impact of such engagement on teachers' morale and job satisfaction. Data was collected from 976 public secondary school teachers. It was found that such engagement level is low. There is a positive significant relationship between teachers' morale and job satisfaction from one hand and their engagement in the decision making process from another hand.
Olorunsola and Olayemi (2011) aimed to explore the extent of secondary school teachers' engagement in the decision making process in Ekiti, Nigeria. 200 teachers were sampled. The latter scholars used a questionnaire. ANOVA, t-test, and Scheffe post hoc test were conducted. Percentages and frequencies were conducted. The random sampling technique was employed by the latter scholars. Several results were concluded. For instance, the extent of secondary school teachers' engagement in the decision making process in Ekiti, Nigeria is high. Teachers' suggestions are taken into consideration when taking decisions in vital issues at school. Teachers are involved in setting plans for developing the welfare of the staff. They are involved in determining the measures of disciplining students. There are significant differences between the teachers' extent of engagement in this process which can be attributed to experience. Those differences are for the favour of the ones who have 30-35 years.

Methodology 9.1. Approach
The descriptive analytical approach was adopted

Population and Sample
The population involves all the public school teachers in Amman. A purposive sample was selected involving 450 female and male teachers. Those teacher were chosen from 25 public primary schools and 25 public secondary schools in Amman. Questionnaire form were passed to the chosen teachers by hand. They were fully retrieved. However, 2 forms were excluded due to having items that aren't answered. Thus, the final sample consists from 448 female and male teachers. Data about the sample is shown below 46.65% of the teachers are males and 53.34% of the teachers are females. 54.68% of the teachers work in public primary schools and 45.31% of the teachers work in public secondary schools.

Instrument
The researcher developed a questionnaire based on the studies conducted by Al-Sofyani (2012) and Barakat (2015). The questionnaire in this study consists from four sections. Through those sections, the researcher aims to explore the extent of engaging public school teachers in Amman in the process of making decisions related to (students, teachers, curricula and local community). The cover sheet of this questionnaire confirms that data shall treated as confidential data. It confirms that no one can have access to the collected data

Validity of the Instrument
The initial version of the questionnaire was passed to two instructors who work at a Jordanian university and specialized in the field of educational leadership. Those instructors are PhD holders and have much knowledge and expertise in the latter field. They were asked to make an evaluation for the study. They added that the questionnaire is very clear and relevant to the goal of the study. They added that there isn't any need for making any change to the questionnaire. The questionnaire was passed to the teachers and those two instructors in Arabic language. Then, it was translated into English.

Reliability of the Instrument
The Cronbach alpha values are calculated for each area. They are shown below: Engagement in the process of making decisions related to students 0.89 2.
Engagement in the process of making decisions related to teachers 0.82 3.
Engagement in the process of making decisions related to curricula 0.85 4.
Engagement in the process of making decisions related to local community 0.80 Overall 0.84 All those values indicate that the questionnaire is reliable, because they are greater than 0.70 as it's suggested by Salehi & Farhang (2019).

Statistical analysis:
To analyse the obtained data, the researcher used SPSS program and calculated standard deviations along with means. He calculated frequencies and percentages. He calculated Cronbach alpha coefficient. The criteria employed for having the means classified are shown below:

Discussion and Results:
What is the extent of engaging public school teachers in Amman in the decision making process from their perspective?
To have this question answered, the researcher calculated the mean of each area. He also calculated the overall mean for all the study's areas jointly. Those means are shown through table (5)  (5), the overall mean is 2.28 which is low. That means that the extent of engaging public school teachers in Amman in the decision making process is low from the perspective of those teachers. That indicates that public school principals in Amman don't have much awareness about the significance of engaging teachers in the decision making process.
The mean of the extent of engaging teachers in decisions related to local community is 2.64 which is moderate and ranked first. The mean of the extent of engaging teachers in the decisions related to teachers is 2.24, which is low and ranked second. The mean of the extent of engaging teachers in decisions related to students is 2.18 which is low and ranked third. The mean of the extent of engaging teachers in decisions related to curricula is 2.07 which is low and ranked fourth. Results about each area are presented below:  (2012) Based on the table above, extent of engaging public school teachers in Amman in the process of making decisions related to students is low due to having a mean of 2.18. This mean is low. This result is consistent with the result concluded by Al-Sofyani (2012). Despite that, teachers are the ones who interact the most with students in the school. Thus, they have much knowledge about the students' needs, demands, weaknesses and strengths. That makes teachers capable of making students-related decisions of high quality. Statement (2) states the following: (I propose solutions for addressing the problem of having students coming late to class). The mean of statement (2) is 4.69 which is deemed high and ranked first. It indicates that principals realize that teachers know the things that can motivate student to come early to school and know the punishments that can't be used to achieve this goal. Statement (5) states the following: (I propose solutions for addressing the problem of having students running from school). The mean of statement (5) is 1.07 which is deemed low and ranked last. It may be attributed to the belief of principals that this problem requires involving parents and social workers rather than teachers.  (2012) The extent of engaging public school teachers in Amman in the process of making decisions related to teachers is low due to having a mean that is 2.24. This result is consistent with the result concluded by Al-Sofyani (2012). Such low engagement shall lead to making decisions that aren't for the favour of teachers. It may lead to providing teachers with courses that don't meet their training needs. It may lead to making decision that aren't consistent with the teachers' needs, skills, and capabilities.

Engagement in the process of making decisions related to teachers
Statement (1) states the following: (I participate in the process of setting the time schedule of exams). The mean of statement (1) is 3.98. It's deemed high and ranked first. It indicates that principals realize that teachers should be engaged in the process of setting the time schedule of exams. That is because teachers are able to determine the dates of exams in a manner that fits with the implementation of the academic plans. Statement (5) states the following: (I participate in the process of distributing tasks to teachers at the beginning of the semester (e.g. supervisory tasks). The mean of statement (1) is 1.29. It's deemed low and ranked last. Such low participation shall negatively affect the teachers' performance in doing tasks. That is because teachers have knowledge about the skills of their colleagues and the tasks that can be done efficiently be their colleagues.  (2012) and Barakat (2015) The extent of engaging public school teachers in Amman in the process of making decisions related to curricula is low due to having a mean that is 2.07. This mean is low. This result is inconsistent with the result included by Barakat (2015). It indicates that principals aren't aware of the significance of the role of teachers in improving curricula and addressing the weaknesses of curricula. Statement (7) states the following: (I make plans for carrying out co-curricular activities). The mean of this statement is 3.72 which is ranked first and deemed high. It indicates that the sampled teachers are highly aware about the significance of carrying out co-curricular activities. For instance, such activities contribute to developing students' thinking skills and providing them with knowledge. Statement (4) states the following: (I develop programs for improving the creativity and talents of students). The mean of this statement is 1.19 which is low and ranked last. It indicates that principals don't encourage teachers to develop such programs. However, teachers are capable of developing such programs, because they know the needs and desires of the talented and creative students they teach.  (2012) and Barakat (2015) The extent of engaging public school teachers in Amman in the process of making decisions related to local community is moderate due to having a mean that is 2.64. This result is inconsistent with the result concluded by Al-Sofyani (2012). It indicates that public school principals in Amman don't have much awareness about the significance of the teachers' role in making reforms in the local community. However, teachers play a significant role in making such reforms. For instance, they can encourage students to assist poor and disabled people in the local community. They can make initiatives that encourage students to protect the environment in their country. Statement (4) states the following: (I convince parents about the significance of attending the parents-teachers meetings). The mean of statement (4) is 3.81 which is deemed high and ranked first. It indicates that the sampled teachers are highly aware about the significance of having the parents attending such meetings. For instance, through such meetings, the teachers can inform the parents about the academic and social problems that the students suffer from. Statement (3) states the following: (I make suggestions for increasing the collaboration between the school and the institutions in the local community). The mean of statement (3) is 1.27 which is deemed low and ranked last. It may be attributed to the lack of awareness among principals about the significance of creating partnerships with institutions in the local community. For instance, creating partnerships with institutions that aim at fighting violence shall contribute to promoting awareness among students about the way of fighting against violence.

Conclusion
The researcher found that the extent of engaging public school teachers in Amman in the decision making process is low in all the areas jointly. That indicates that public school principals in Amman don't have much awareness about the significance of engaging teachers in the decision making process. It was found the extent of engaging those teachers in making local community-related decisions is moderate. The extent of engaging those teachers in making decisions related to teachers, students and curricula is low.
The results of this study indicate that public school principals in Amman don't realize the positive impacts of such engagement on students, teachers, curricula, the school, and local community. For instance, such engagement contributes to motivating students and promoting creativity among them. It plays a significant role in developing teachers professionally and meeting their training needs. It plays a significant role in addressing the weaknesses of curricula and making reforms in the local community.

Recommendations:
The researcher recommends: a) Conducting studies about the impact of the teachers' demographic variables (e.g. gender, age and academic qualifications) on the extent of engaging teachers in the decision making process. b) Forming several committees in each school and assigning a specific function to each committee. Such committee must be consisting from teachers only. Such committees should by formed by the principal. To illustrate more, there should be a committee responsible for addressing the problems faced by the school and making suggestions for addressing them. There should be another committee responsible for addressing the social problems faced by students. There should be another committee responsible for fostering the collaboration between the school and the institutions in the local community. c) Developing plans by the Ministry of Education in Jordan to ensure that teachers are highly involved in the decision making process. d) Providing principals with training courses about the significance of engaging teachers in the decision making process