Perceptions of teachers of the factors contributing to an equitable school culture : the case of a private international school in Lebanon -

Abstract

This exploratory and descriptive study explored the perceptions of teachers of an equitable school culture in a private international Lebanese school with local and expatriate teachers. It aimed to gauge teachers’ perceptions: (1) of an equitable school culture; (2) of the challenges faced by their school in establishing an equitable school culture; (3) of the required organizational conditions for ensuring the creation of an equitable school culture. The main data collection tool was individual interviews with teachers. The other tools employed for a triangulation of the data were the researcher journal and memo writing, focus groups interviews, and relevant school documents. The findings of the study were discussed in light of the literature review. The results of the study indicated that respondents understand what the characteristics of an equitable school culture in a diverse setting are. The results also indicated that the school culture is balkanized and inequitable due to the leadership team’s reluctance to address the lack of equity openly, and its lack of preparation for leading an equitable school culture. The required conditions to ensure an equitable school culture were derived from the empirical results, and implications for practice and recommendations for further research were suggested.