Social Constructions of Religiosity and Leadership Decision Making in Public Education: A Cross-Cultural Multiple-Case Study

• In Event: Religion and Public Education

Abstract

Douglas’s Cultural Theory was used to explain the interrelationship of religiosity and leadership decision-making in selected public school settings, four in Israel and four in the US. In each country, the schools were classified a priori in Douglas’s schema: Individualist, Bureaucratic, Corporate, and Collectivist. Specific themes emerged in the research process. Participants in both countries explained religiosity and decision-making in terms of personal religious values and group influence. Participants in bureaucratic settings explained religiosity in terms of rules and roles, and decision-making processes were defined by regulations and status. Corporate perspectives emphasized group-defined religiosity where institutional norms promote and preserve spiritual life as well as guide leadership decisions. Participants in collectivist settings explained religiosity and decision-making in communal, egalitarian terms.

Authors

• Iris BenDavid-Hadar, Bar-Ilan University

• Ed Harris, Oklahoma State University

• Stephoni Lynn Case, Southern Nazarene University