Examining the Systemic Effects of Relational Trust and Network Trustworthiness on School Community: a Multi-Site Case Study of Three Independent Schools
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2013 Examining the Systemic Effects of Relational Trust and Network Trustworthiness on School Community: A Multi-Site Case Study of Three Independent Schools Stephanie Barnes Ogden University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Educational Leadership Commons Recommended Citation Ogden, Stephanie Barnes, "Examining the Systemic Effects of Relational Trust and Network Trustworthiness on School Community: A Multi-Site Case Study of Three Independent Schools. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2013. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/2603 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Stephanie Barnes Ogden entitled "Examining the Systemic Effects of Relational Trust and Network Trustworthiness on School Community: A Multi-Site Case Study of Three Independent Schools." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Education. Pamela A. Angelle, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Bruce J. MacLennan, Susan Newsom, Gary C. Ubben Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) Examining the Systemic Effects of Relational Trust and Network Trustworthiness on School Community: A Multi-Site Case Study of Three Independent Schools A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Stephanie Barnes Ogden December 2013 ii Copyright © 2013 by Stephanie Barnes Ogden All rights reserved. iii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my nearest relations, whose influence is so profound as to leave me searching for a stronger term. My parents, James and Vera Barnes, transmitted the DNA defining my physical being and faithfully nurtured the spiritual and cognitive structures that define my character. To the extent that we invest ourselves in elevating the individuals and communities we influence, my brother James and I deliver a good return on the lessons in love entrusted with us by our parents. Robert and Julie Webb profoundly influenced my view of leadership within empowering school communities. They translated their family motto, Leaders Not Men, into a school community in which every member was invested with a leader’s ownership for personal and professional excellence. Their ideal of servant leadership resonates within and is amplified by alumni of all walks of life. Within me, that ideal is expressed in a life commitment to reach across social boundaries to develop and sustain inspiring and empowering school communities, “to transmit this place not only not less but greater and more beautiful than it was transmitted to me” (Athenian Code). So entwined with me as to seem the other half of my person, my husband Tim Ogden has enacted such commitment to my dreams and support for my projects that it would be impossible to say that this dissertation is not at least partially his, or that any success I might achieve as an educational leader will not be directly owing to his wholehearted investment. Tim probably appreciates the justice of everything I have just said, but he likely has little idea of how his integrity amplifies my own ideals and constrains my ethical decision-making. We together are so much more than either alone. Our children Tim, Stephen, and Laura Ogden educated my heart as no one else could. In relationship with them, I learned how overwhelmed my parents must have been by their love for my brother and me, and now Tim and Mara for Noemi. I only hope that the spiritual and educational heritage pulsing in my own heart will resonate with sufficient force within theirs to project the values of honor and integrity into their families and professional spheres of influence. We will all die one day, but in genuine, transformative relationships we all will have truly lived what it means to be created in God’s image. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply indebted to my committee as I complete this project. Dr. Pamela Angelle, my chair, inducted me into Leadership Studies with my first course in Educational Philosophy and guided me through the program that helped me to construct the theoretical framework for this study. Dr. Angelle’s high expectations and unyielding press for excellence both inspired and impelled me to do my best work. Demonstrating that we are all stronger in relationship than alone, Dr. Angelle supported me through challenges with data analysis by connecting me with Dr. Corey DeHart and through the tragic loss of a committee member by connecting me with Dr. Susan Newsom. Dr. Angelle’s acute eye for detail and impeccable sense of academic style were invaluable in crafting and revising this dissertation into its final form. Dr. Vincent Anfara helped me to refine my construct of knowledge and my understanding of experimental design as he guided me through those aspects of my program of study. As a student in Dr. Anfara’s Mixed Methods class, I traveled to California to perform a preliminary case study of one of the schools ultimately included in this study. His comment written on the final paper submitted for that class illustrates how Dr. Anfara’s directness made us all better: “This writing is rich and thick, but this is not a case study.” As I wrote the final page of this study, I thought to myself, “Dr. Anfara is going to love this!” I am saddened that he will never read it and grateful for his influence. Dr. Bruce MacLennan’s extraordinary generosity in creating two courses in complex systems, essentially just for me, can never be repaid directly. Looking for systemic effects to explain the mutual accountability in communities governed by trust-based capacity building rather than command and control would have been impossible without the theoretical foundation provided by Dr. MacLennan. Connecting the body of research on the evolution of the social capital of trust in schools as a systemic effect with theories of complex systems in diverse fields enriches this present study and convinces me of the broader applicability of its findings. I am immeasurably enriched by and grateful for the wisdom emergent from our relationship. Dr. Susan Newsom’s willingness to step forward and join my committee as the project was nearing the finish line is deeply appreciated. I admire Dr. Newsom’s integrity in assuring that the project honors universal human dignity. I am inspired by her commitment to forwarding understanding of how educators and schools might better draw out the potential within all learners. I am grateful for this new relationship and the promise of ongoing collaboration. Dr. Gary Ubben’s patience and wisdom in guiding our cohort through the ephemeral transition from classroom students to educational leaders and academic scholars are highly valued. I appreciate Dr. Ubben’s practical advice on establishing priorities. Our entire cohort is emerging with degrees and intact and growing families, including a v spouse, four babies, a daughter-in-law, and a grandchild not with us when we began. I also appreciate Dr. Ubben’s exemplary professionalism as he practiced the professorial equivalent of wait time, refraining from imposing his own opinions in our policy classes so that we might fully engage with the process of developing and revising our own positions. I am not only better informed, but better equipped by our relationship. I would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Corey DeHart for sharing his expertise on Data Analysis and Mrs. Bobbie Bell for transcription assistance. I must also express my gratitude to my principal, Becky Ashe, and my colleagues at the L&N STEM Academy, whose encouragement and practical support made it possible for me to complete this dissertation while we were building a school. Finally, I must acknowledge my debt to my cohort: Dr. Jessica Chambers, Dr. Lon Fox, Dr. Jeff Knox, and Dr. Amie Rumph. Our shared metamorphoses unite us as family as we fly our separate ways, working to make the educational landscape more beautiful and effective. vi ABSTRACT Within the broader context of accountability imposed from beyond our schools, this mixed methods, multi-site case study investigated the development of relational trust and trustworthy relationships as internal accountability structures within three independent schools replicating responsible independence on the scale of the school as trustworthy freedom on the scale of the individual. Interviews, observations, artifacts, sociograms, and surveys were analyzed to identify teacher and administrator perceptions of structures supporting relational trust, accountability to community standards, and sustainable trust- based cultures. Survey data were also analyzed for corresponding evidence of organizational conditions associated with school improvement: teacher orientation to innovation, teacher commitment to school