Dimensions of Teacher Innovativeness

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Abstract
This paper reports the development and validation of measures of teacher innovativeness and selected correlates. Teacher innovativeness is conceptualised as a multi‐dimensional construct, which may include teachers' attitudes towards the adoption of specific innovations, their general change‐related values, their adoption of innovations, their internalisation of adopted innovations, and their continual participation in change‐related professional activities. Innovativeness was found to comprise a number of dimensions which were significantly and differentially related to teachers' perceptions of innovation characteristics and the organisational context of innovation. Teachers' overt innovative behaviour and, to a lesser extent, their attitudinal commitment to innovation were significantly related to the schools' organisational climate for change, its openness to influence, its supportiveness and motivational climate and to the principal's innovation decision‐making behaviour. The instruments developed by the author were found to possess a high degree of reliability and validity. A total of 1757 principals and teachers participated in the study. Grateful acknowledgement is made to all participants in the study and in particular to a group of 34 principals who additionally administered questionnaires to the teaching staff in their schools.

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