Collective Trust in Schools: Distinguishing Collective and Interpersonal Dimensions

• In Event: Understanding the Interaction Between School Culture, Leadership, and Trust

Abstract

This paper has two purposes, one theoretical and one evidentiary. First, we develop the sociological theory of collective trust, arguing that group process theory rather than individual psychology explains how it forms, functions and endures. Second, an empirical objective is to develop evidence that collective trust is not a sole function of the trust experiences of individuals within groups and that it may explain more variation in important school outcomes than do mere aggregates of individual trust beliefs. Findings support the claim, but at the same time suggest that the relationship between group cohesiveness and aggregate trust levels is complex.

Authors

• Patrick B. Forsyth, University of Oklahoma

• Curt M. Adams, University of Oklahoma