CONFIDENTIAL /SULIT @ OUM (OPEN UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA, FINAL EXAMINATION SAMPLE QUESTION / SAMPEL SOALAN PEPERIKSAAN AKHIR SETI COURSE /KURSUS —: EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION CODE/ KOD DURATION / TEMPO!PART A INSTRUCTIONS: 1. THERE ARE TWO (2) QUESTIONS IN THIS PART. 2. ANSWER BOTH QUESTIONS. Note: The article “Schools as leaming organisations, the case for system, teacher and student learning” by Halia Silins and Bill Muford is attached for reference. Question 4 Explain the concept of “learning organisations". Describe THREE characteristics of leamiing organisations. Discuss TWO strategies that school principals can adopt to make schools effective learning organisations. [TOTAL: 20 MARKS] Question 2 Halia Silins and Bill Mulford (2002) identified a number of direct and indirect predictors of teacher learning, student engagement and organisational learning. Identify the direct predictors of each to the above-mentioned outcome variables. Explain the strength of each of the three predictors of the outcome variables. Identify the indirect predictors of organisational leaming. Select any ONE of the predictors and explain its significance. [TOTAL: 20 MARKS]PARTS INSTRUCTIONS: 1, THERE ARE FIVE (5) QUESTIONS IN'THIS PART. 2. ANSWER THREE (3) QUESTIONS ONLY. Question 4 Organisational politics is “individual or group behaviour that is informal, ostensibly parochial, typically divisive and above all, in the technical sense, illegitimate - sanctioned neither by formal authority, accepted ideology, nor certified expertise” (Mintzberg, 1983). Such politics is typically illegitimate because personal agendas are substituted for organisational ones (Tarter and Hoy, 2004) a. Vecchio (1988) suggests the following political tactics are commonly used by ‘employees: ingratiating, networking, information management, impression management, coalition building, scapegoating and getting attention of superiors. ‘Select any FOUR of the tactics and describe how teachers may use each one at the work place, [10 marks} b. Mintzberg (1983) identifies five general types of political games that organisational members play: games to resist authority, games to counter that resistance, games to build power bases, games to defeat opponents and games to change the organisation. Explain any FOUR of the games and describe the scenarios of teachers executing any ‘THREE of them, [10 marks} [TOTAL: 20 MARKS]Question 2 The decision-making cycle inevitably begins with the definition of a problem and comes to fruition with the implementation and evaluation of action. The cycle can be conceived as 2 dynamic sequencing of steps best described as an action cycle. a. A school is faced with a problem or issue and the principal is determined to initiate an action plan to overcome it. You have been engaged to help the school apply a decision- making action plan. You have selected a five-step decision-making action cycle in which the first step is for the schoo! to recognise and define the problem or issue. Discuss how you would advise the principal to apply all the five steps in the cycle. [10 marks} b. Time is a scarce commodity that restrains the number of options a decision maker can generate and assess. As such swift and smart decision making principles are essential to decision makers. Hoy and Tarter (2010) have culled from the literature nine basic rules to guide swift and smart decision making, Select any FOUR of the rules and illustrate their application in the context of school management. [10 marks} [TOTAL: 20 MARKS}Question 3 Organisational communication is defined as the sending of messages through both formal and informal networks that results in the construction of meaning and influences both individuals and groups (DeFleur, Keamey, and Plax, 1993) ‘a. Describe a formal communication channel in schools and its purpose. Explain what you would do as a school principal to ensure that the channel of formal communication is effective. [10 marks} b. “A well-developed informal communication network can help administrators gain timely information and assess the accuracy of formal upward communication” Do you agree with the statement? Discuss. [10 marks] [FOTAL: 20 MARKS] Question 4 Terrence Deal (1985) proposes that effective schools have strong cultures with the following characteristics: shared values and @ consensus on how to get things done around here, the principal as a hero who embodies core values, distinctive rituals that embody widely shared beliefs, employees as situational heroes, rituals of enculturation and cultural renewal, significant rituals to celebrate and transform core values, balance between innovation and tradition and between autonomy and control, and widespread participation in cultural rituals. a, School cultures can be interpreted in many ways, but the rites, ceremonies, icons, myths, heroes, rituals and legends always provide concrels guides to culture, Describe ONE main function of culture in organisations and highlight TWO. characteristics of cultures of successful schools. [10 marks} b. A culture of academic optimism can make a difference in student learning. What is meant by the culture of academic optimism and in your opinion, to what extent is such a culture evident in Malaysian schools? [10 marks] [FOTAL: 20 MARKS]Question 5 Leadership is a process of social influence in which one person is able to enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Leadership is distributed widely in organisations both formally and informally and has rational, social, and emotional bases. a. Aneeffective school leader is said to have emotional maturity and integrity as personality traits, motivated by power needs and high expectation and possess technical and interpersonal skill. Discuss the statement. [10 marks} b. What do you understand by the concept of instructional leadership? Why is it important instructional leadership behaviours? for principals to e» [10 marks] {TOTAL: 20 MARKS] QUESTION PAPER ENDS HERE