The Structural Relations of Parameters of School-Based Management Based on Decentralization, Responsibility, Participation, Organizational Culture, and Organizational Commitment

The aim of this study is to carry out the structural relations of parameters of school-based management based on decentralization, responsibility, participation, organizational culture, and organizational commitment. This study is an applied and survey. The statistical population of this research is all of the managers and teachers of Tehran city, of which 148 people (119 teachers and 29 managers) have been selected based on random sampling. The data have been collected using a questionnaire, whose admissibility and constancy have been proved in accordance to the view of related experts. In order to analyze data, Lisrel software has been used. Findings of study show that among the studied indexes, the organizational commitment with a path coefficient of 0.89; responsibility with a path coefficient of 0.86; participation with a path coefficient of 0.78; decentralization with a path coefficient of 0.73; and organizational culture with a path coefficient of 0.69, respectively maintain the most impact on the implementation of school-based management system in the schools of Tehran city. The principle of school management (school-based management) coupled with participative management is one of the approaches adopted by the majority of pioneering countries in a bid to enhance the efficiency of school management and to improve the quality of academic progress of pupils, which should be taken into consideration by the planners and decision-makers of our country’s educational system. The theoretical and applied allusions of the findings were discussed.


Introduction
Today, education as of society sub-system has an important role in development process, growth process, mental, and social evolution and it will lead to society development in long-term if necessary infrastructures to establish educational system is designed properly.Empirically, in country education administrative (as a pioneer country), many intentions have focused toward decentralization and delegating as much as authority and responsibility of the Ministry of Education to school since previous century.Evidences show that success of American schools is pattern of many developed and developing countries for next decades.Education system has intended to participatory and decentralized patterns along with cultural, economic, and social evolutions at the end of 20th century (Hammada, 2010).History of education shows that beginning of 1970s is a period which attracted authors and defenders of advanced educational system modifications more than ever to educational line units such as school, class, and teaching-learning process.Therefore, decentralization, devolution, autonomy, accountability, and responsibility have become basis of education modification (Adam & Miran, 2006).These patterns are somehow result of environmental evolutions and attitude change and society expectations.Attaching to flexible structures will be more participation sector of society different classes such as parents, managers, administrative employees of schools, and students in decision making process that lead to efficiency and effectiveness of educational systems (Jafari, 2012).Regarding to modern approaches of education system such as participatory-based management and human relations, decentralization in education system, attracting practical participation, and active presence in decision making process and executive affairs of school have been focused more than ever (Hammada, 2010).
School-Based Management (SBM) has been proposed in various countries as a strategy for education modification in recent decade and a lot of focus is observed toward delegation authorities to schools in order to promote education quality.There are a lot of interests and experiences in various countries to close decision making to school level to guarantee society members' access to high quality education and people participation in managing schools increases in national strategic framework (Moradi, Sufean, & Barzegar, 2012).In literature review for school-based management, there is not vivid and comprehensive definition.Therefore, various names are known in the world such as education site-based management, self-managing of school, school-site autonomy, and local management of school, school-based budgeting, school-based curriculum development, shared decision-making, restructuring, and decentralized management, and decentralization of decision-making (Caldwell, 2005).All these terms have relatively similar meaning in various literatures and authors that try to stick a meaning in readers' minds referring to several principles for infrastructural modifications in education and its management.School-based management as an effective process of school-based management is considered in developing and developed countries (Bandur, 2012).School-based management means providing transferring decision power to school level (Chan & Tee, 2008).School-based or participatory decision making in school is a general attitude change and management of schools that brings exclusive of decision making from a central office to a school to improve school performance.This interaction is for accomplishing purposes and effectiveness in school.In other words, this process enables school to make educational decision making for school needs and help to use school limited resources effectively and strength local participation in managing school affairs (Vally & Daud, 2015).School-based management is restructuring education system to increase flexibility, decentralization, and evolution to schools so to close decision making location to its execution location and decision making in group and participatory by who has the most information about schools' needs and dominant conditions and are influenced by its effects more than any one including parents, students, staff, beneficiary groups of society such as owners of industries, national organization, etc., increase to autonomy, accountability, and responsibility of school and improve educations qualities and effectiveness.American education and research office (1996) introduced school-based as type of educational changes and curriculum.This matter is effective, when it is involved with active school affairs (Santiban˜ez, Abreu-Lastra, & O'donoghue, 2014).Whereas all theoreticians since Garmz considered some parameters of this system in school-based management, it is hardly possible to introduce all-adapted models as a unit model of school-based management system.In our country, Education Supreme Council according to Decree 76, dated 2004 to increase quality promotion of educational activities in schools, enabling teachers, increasing parents participation and councils in school decision makings and transferring power from central government to schools and act on establishing school board of trustees in order to accomplish and implement school-based management system.In this regard; although, researchers previous studies investigated managers, teachers, and authors' ideas in education system to investigate how to implement, educate, limitations and obstacles in school-based management system, it is not still clear which school-based management parameters are able for simultaneous implementation and execution in our country according to cultural, economic, social, and political conditions.Therefore, the purpose of this study is the structural relations of parameters of school-based management based on decentralization, responsibility, participation, organizational culture, and organizational commitment.
Table 1.Parameters of comprehensive model of school-based management according to global scholars an authors of education: Zahiri and Vahidpour (2013), Sawada and Griffen (2015) Participation is a process that subordinators are shared with significant levels of decision making power (Santiban˜ ez et al., 2014).In other words, mental and emotional involvement of people helps in group situations to get to group purposes and share in responsibility of tasks.In addition, participation includes school heads and executors on necessity of group decision making (Bandur, 2012).The philosophy of school-based management is based on 2 main principles of autonomy in school level and participatory decision making (Razzaq & Hossaini, 2012).In addition, one of attractive fields for research in education is accountability factor.According to its definitions and conceptions, many researchers and scholars believe that accountability is an important factor in reflecting school-based management.Accountability is a necessity and internal commitment from individual to do all of his activities desirably (Amir, Baikzadeh, & Gholbola, 2014).In other words, accountability is a motivating need that person feels the most relationship with the specific situation and his consciousness increases about tasks and decisions that should be made.According to Denison (2000), organizational culture refers to principal values, belief, and principles reinforcing initial regulations.These principles and values are permanent, because they have specific meanings and conceptions for organization members.He believes that organizational culture and perception are closely related to organizational strategies and greatly influence on people working in organization.Organizational culture is collection of mutual beliefs transferred by symbolic mediums and gets meaning in working life of people and is made to cope with external problems and innovative internal coherence (Alvani & Memarzadeh, 2014).Although, many definitions have been proposed by authorities in behavioral sciences field, there is no disagreement in definition of organizational commitment and in all definitions, organizational commitment is 3 factors of belief on organizational purposes and values, intention to great attempts, and deep request of continuing membership in organization.Correct perception and deduction has important role in forming an organization employees' commitment (Azizzadeh, 2012).Organizational commitment can be defined as accepting organization values and involving with organization.Criterion measurement of organizational commitment include high motivation, organization acceptance and its purposes, readiness for great attempts, and interest on keeping membership in organization (Saqqaian & Abdollahi, 2012) and also decentralization factor is one of very interesting fields in education for all types of studies.School base is on involving school and its pillars in education and delegating many decision making tasks which turning point in education system structure is changing centralization to decentralization in decision making and execution (Khavari, Rafati, Saheb, & Aqa, 2014).School-based are the most significant type o educational decentralization and its structure changes based on decision making power given to schools (Brown Translated Tavakoli, 2014).Educational policy makers have different perceptions from decentralization.The common point in all perceptions is transferring decision making power from a central authority to school that is limited to attributed resources in limited and conservational perceptions.In more extended definition, it encompasses delegating power range, curriculum, employees, physical facilities, and financial resources supplement (Ansari, 2014).
Research results of Adam and Miran (2010) under the title of "school-based management and contradicted role of school supervision" showed that in a centralized educational system, school heads face with contradiction in executing school-based management.Hence, changing centralized to decentralized structure from one hand and attention to professional aspects of teachers and managers on the other hand are considered as 2 school-based management system.Pillon ( 2013) in a research under the title of "educational decentralization in Guatemala" stated that the type of suggested delegated authorities should be adapted with educational needs, nature, and cultural structure and management should also support it.Therefore, intention to decentralization in educational system needs specific conditions and factors without which it is not possible to be successful in decentralization.Candal (2009) in a research under the title of "school-based management as a practical solution for school modification" reported that this design in Indonesia led to progress in students' performance and their breakthrough.In addition, progresses are seen in teachers professional development plans, participation in society, and supporting parents from school.Reimers and Cardinas (2007) in an article under the title of "what are benefits of school-based management in Mexico?" stated that successful execution depends on underlying conditions and factors, but no factor can be effective in successful proceeding school purposes by teachers, managers, and parents except strong organizational culture in schools and making a common educational landscape.These researchers reported that this design change key pillars such as accountability, using informational systems, parents participation, independency in budget, affairs etc. Results of Sawada and Griffen (2015) research about role of committees and management councils in schools based on school-based management using evidences from COGES showed that these committees significantly increase social capital in school management from 8% to 10.27% by increase in voluntary participation.Elmelegy (2014) in a study under the title of school-based management explained decision making quality approach in Egypt high schools.The purpose of his research is clarifying how school-based management can help to obtain decision making quality in Egypt high schools and determination necessities of qualitative decision making.This research has emphasized that school-based management can facilitate teachers and employees participation in decision making process.Moreover, school-based management can improve teachers enabling quality in authorities, representation, and encourage group decision making (participatory).Dimmok ( 2013) in his research showed that the main challenge in executing this system is making relationship among related features to school-based management and effective factors on students learning.If it is possible to make application among factors so autonomy, flexibility, accountability, planning, participation, cooperation, and self-efficacy have the most effect on learning, education, content, and contingency structure so we can hope to improve students learning.
Ansari (2014) investigated decentralization from budgeting along with establishing school-based management.
Research findings show that decentralization in one of the most important proposed policies to improve educational system efficiency improvement that can change supporting activities and financial affairs.Mehr Alizadeh, Sepasi and Atashfeshan (2013) in a research investigated performance of schools' board of trustees in Ahvaz City.Research results showed that schools board of trustees didn't have proper performance in provision and extension social capital (4 parameters of social capital including social justice, social participation, coherence, and social trust were considered).Related results to all-aspect cooperation of beneficiaries in school board of trustees showed that average participation of beneficiaries in this school was lower than average norm in all participation aspects (financial, emotional, informational, and intellectual).Emamvirdi, Ghahramani, and Emamvirdi (2013) investigated needed conditions and obstacles of school-based management and flexibility, participation, devolution of managers and high school teachers to the desirable level and decentralization wasn't efficiently attended and there is no significant difference between self-managing of schools in boy and girl high schools.Gholparast and Shahandeh (2011) investigated decentralization of educational system management.Studies show that most developed countries such as England and Japan used decentralization to be far from centralization method.In this research, devolution, participatory management, and school-base (self-managing of schools).Mirkalamli and Aalami ( 2009) in a research under the title of "evaluating readiness of elementary schools of Tehran to establish school-based management concluded that readiness of Tehran elementary schools is evaluated desirable to make a decentralized structure, participation in schools affairs, acceptance authority, localization, and plans flexibility, specialized forces to provide budget by school.Davoodipour et al. (2008) in a research under the title of "school-based design based on emission, participation, and organizational commitment of managers and teachers of Mashhad guidance school" concluded that attention to emission, participation, and organizational commitment in research sample is relatively desirable.It means that it is possible to execute school-based management according to condition of 3 existed features in schools.

Research Questions
1) What are the structural relations of parameters of school-based management based on decentralization, responsibility, participation, organizational culture, and organizational commitment? 2) Which parameters among research studied parameters, accountability, organizational culture, participation, commitment, and decentralization, have the most effect in executing school-based management?
3) How much is goodness of fit index the structural relations of parameters of school-based management based on decentralization, responsibility, participation, organizational culture, and organizational commitment?

Methodology
The present research according to issue nature is surveying and according to objective is applied ad descriptive.It means its findings can be used to solve education problems and issues, particularly execution of school-based system).

Statistical Population, Sampling Method, and Sample
Statistical population of this research includes Tehran city teachers and managers.Sample volume was 148 people from managers and teacher (119 teacheres and 29 managers) selected using Morgan and Krejcie table by simple random method.

Research Instrument
In this research, the researcher-made questionnaire has been used to measure school-based management including 28 items which was grade from 1 to 5 in five-point Likert spectrum.Questionnaire validity was content validity and to measure its reliability, it was distributed among experts and authorities including supervisors, counselor, and also education office elites and authorities, then their modification ideas were used to formulate the final questionnaire.Validity of this scale aspects was reported 0.87 by Alpha Cronbach Coefficient method.

Data Analysis Method
Collected data was analyzed using SEM by Lisrel software. www.ccsen

Resear
In According to the obtained SEM in Figure 1, path coefficient between accountability and school-based management is 0.86 that according to t-test 1.196<4.76.Therefore, it can be claimed that accountability parameter is effective on school-based management.In addition, according to obtained SEM from Diagram (1) and ( 2), path coefficient between organizational culture and school-based management is 0.69 that 1.196<5.61according to t-test.Therefore, it can be claimed that organizational culture is effective on school-based management.According to the obtained SEM in Diagram ( 1) and ( 2), path coefficient between participation and school-based management is 0.78 that according to t-test 1.196<4.89.Therefore, it can be claimed that participation parameter is effective on school-based management.
According to the obtained SEM in Diagram ( 1) and ( 2), path coefficient between commitment and school-based management is 0.89 that according to t-test 1.196< 4.80.Therefore, it can be claimed that commitment parameter is effective on school-based management.According to the obtained SEM in Diagram ( 1) and ( 2), path coefficient between decentralization and school-based management is 0.73 that according to t-test 1.196<4.90.Therefore, it can be claimed that decentralization parameter is effective on school-based management.
In order to answer to the second question of research that which parameters has the most effectiveness on school-based management among the studied parameters in research including accountability, organizational culture, participation, commitment, and decentralization?
Obtained results from path analysis show that among studied parameters in this research to execute school-based management in Tehran its schools, coefficient path for organizational commitment (0.89), for accountability (0.86), participation (0.78), decentralization (0.73), and organizational culture (0.69) have the most effect on school-based management, respectively.In 95% confidence level (p-value is 0.000) In order to answer the research third question, how much is fitness goodness index of the structural relations of parameters of school-based management based on decentralization, responsibility, participation, organizational culture, and organizational commitment?
According to proposed model, it can be claimed that the most direct effect on school-based management is effect of organizational commitment parameters with path coefficient of 0.89.Finally, assumed structural relationships were analyzed by SEM and the final model fitness indexes were reported.Obtained results from path analysis showed that model fitness is proper, because Tucker-Louis non-smooth fit index was 0.92 and Bonnet-Bentler normalized fit index was 0.91.Moreover, Halter index was higher than 0.71 that show good fitness.In addition, RMSEA (0.22) was less than 0.5 and shows research model fitness.

Discussion and Conclusion
One of facing challenges and problems with State Education Administrative is centralized management and non-participation of managers, employees, parents, and students on decision making how to manage school and remove problems and their limitations.These problems reduce schools effectiveness.Therefore, revising and evolving this system seems necessary and confirmed by authorities.School-based management was a policy to improve education by giving more powers to managers and school to improve related decisions to budget and curriculum.More learning of students with delegating authorities by changings according to all-aspect conditions of schools to go along with the global advances which is daily renewing is mentioned by this policy (Emamvirdi et al., 2013).School orientation is a type of decentralization which means to introduce school as the main factor of promoting quality and emphasizes on redistribution powers for decision making as the main method of stabilizing school quality.This research was conducted based on the structural relation of parameters of school-based management based on decentralization, responsibility, participation, organizational culture, and organizational commitment.The first finding of this research shows that path coefficient among accountability and school-based management is 0.86 that according to t-test, 1.196<4.76;therefore, accountability is effective on school-based management.This finding is in agreement with Mir Kamali and Alami (2009).The implications of this research show that delegating decision making responsibility to managers, teacher, parents, and students about employees' budget and curriculum, and more control on education can make up expect their responsibilities increase to establish school-based management.Another finding of this research shows that path coefficient between organizational culture and school-based management is 0.69 that according to t-test, 1.196<4.61;therefore, organizational culture parameter is effective on school-based management.This finding is in agreement with Reimers et al. (2007).In this regard, it is obvious according to research finding that there is relationship between parameters of organizational culture and school-based management, because there is no factor as strong organizational culture in schools and making a mutual landscape about school purposes by teacher, managers, and parents to execute successful educational system.This mutual landscape increases the relationship among parents, teachers, and managers magically and change key vectors such as accountability, using informational system, parents' participation, autonomy in budget, desirable decision making to manage schools' affairs.
Another findings of this research shows that path coefficient between participation parameter and school-based management is 0.78 that according to t-test, 1.196<4.89;therefore, participation parameter is effective on school-based management.This finding is in agreement with findings of Sawada et al. (2015), Elmelegy (2014), Dimmok (2013), Mehralizadeh et al. (2013), Emamvirdi et al. (2013), Davodipour (2008).In this regard, according to research findings, it is obvious that the most effect to encourage managers, teacher, parents, and students in executing school-based management, participation process makes this opportunity for people with awareness to participate in decision makings and result will be desirable.Moreover, participation increase people commitment toward people in making decisions and facilitates executing school-based management and promotes educational quality.Another findings of this research is that path coefficient between commitment and school-based management is 0.89 that according to t-test 1.196<4.80;therefore, commitment parameter is effective on school-based management.This finding is in agreement with results of studies of authors such as Davodipoor et al. (2008) and Candal (2009).Used implications of this finding show that as commitment level in an organization and among employees is more, sense of responsibility to stay in organization will be more, because individual feel that organization support them greatly and highly probably they have sense of responsibility to account for organizational support.Employees and beneficiaries commitment in managing school is rooted from its perceptions from organizational commitment.If these people feel that organization doesn't support them, they will be weak in their attitude and perceptions in executing school-based management.
In addition, other findings of this research show this result that path coefficient between decentralization and school-based management is 0.73 that according to t-test, 1.196<4.90;therefore, decentralization is effective on school-based management.This finding is in agreement with studies of authors such has Pillon (2013), Adam and Miran (2010), Ansari (2014), Emamvirdi et al. (2013), Golparast et al. (2011).In this regard, according to research result, it is obvious that by effect of decentralization, many decision made in higher level than school are made now by school, active and beneficiaries, but decision making always needs sufficient information and enough knowledge particularly in studied issue.Therefore, the hidden assumption in delegating authority is who work directly with students have more useful methods and educational structure, more conscious and reliable thoughts.In this regard, non-centralization and delegating authority actually means care for the information, assumptions, values, perceptions, ideas, thoughts, and solutions accumulated knowledge and experience in the treasury of school.According to obtained results, it can be stated that decentralization and delegating authority in education administrative need intelligence and scientific confrontation.It should be known as relative process and notice that absolute decentralization is not possible and attention to cultural, political, and social differences among countries is natural so decentralization methods can be different, because each policy is born from its political, cultural, and economic field.
In this regard, according to research findings, it is suggested that is necessary to study all related parameters to this system, by an extensive statistical population for proper planning to execute school-based management then nationalize school-based management parameters by adaption and execution on dominant education system in state according to political, social, economic, and cultural fields.In addition, the following principles are to improve and make school-based management more effective that are suggested to authorities and policy makers of Iran education system: The principle of managing schools with board of trustees: in order to improve quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of school-based management and move schools management from centralized to decentralized status and give more autonomy and accountability to managers and existed institutions in schools for full decision makings and policy makings in schools so we should changes school to board of trustees and select representatives among councils and schools employees as board of directors then give all decisions and policies such as education, employment and selecting teachers and school employees, determination and manner of spending costs and how to manage school budget, determination teachers, managers and other employees' salaries, education and behavioral planning and other affairs.
Principle of Self-management and make management of school participatory: Making school-based management and participatory management are such highly used policies in advanced countries to make affairs more efficient and school management more effective.In addition, it is considered to improve quality of school management in all educational levels.Principally, education system policy makers and planners should have more autonomy for school managers such as how to evaluate students, determine curriculum, educational and behavioral plans, budget, and cost it and other plant and related decision makings to give schools to ask managers to participate all existed institutions in schools and other employees to increase school quality and effectiveness.

Table 2 .
Frequency distribution and participators percentage by gender and organizational status separation

Table 3 .
Path coefficient and t-test of research parameters with school-based management

Table 4 .
Indicator of related indexes with proposed model fitness