ERIC Number: ED312028
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1989-Mar-27
Pages: 49
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Trust As It Relates to Information Flow Variables in Elementary Schools.
Hurst, Gayle A.; Levine, Daniel U.
This study addresses the issue of whether trust among members of an educational institution is related to: (1) accurate information flow; (2) upward, downward, or lateral information flow; or (3) completeness of information. The study also considered whether a low level of trust is associated with inaccurate, incomplete information. A questionnaire was developed and administered in a midwestern, suburban, metropolitan school district with 18 elementary schools employing 379 teachers. Due to teachers' fears of being identified by principals, problems were encountered in grouping returned questionnaires by school. However, 11 schools provided enough returns to warrant analysis. Findings indicated that the greater the trust in an elementary school, the greater the reported accuracy of information flow in the school. Conversely, the lower the trust, the lower the reported accuracy of information flow. Accuracy of information flow was positively related to trust even when directionality of information flow was not specified. Upward, downward, and lateral information flow were all related to trust, with more directionality when there was more trust and more filtering of information when trust was low. Schools high in trust had more upward than downward communication and vice versa. The more trust that existed, the more complete was the information. The more accurate the information flow was, the more complete the information was. (RH)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A