Teachers' Autonomy in Today's Educational Climate: Current Perceptions From an Acceptable Instrument

This research evaluated the psychometric properties of Friedman's (d1999) Teacher Work-Autonomy Scale (TWA) to determine whether it was an acceptable instrument to measure U.S. teacher autonomy in the present educational context. A second purpose was to ascertain the current status of teachers' perceptions of their autonomy from a sample of U.S. teachers. Four hundred seventy-seven teachers from three public schools in Michigan participated in this study for a response rate of 30%. Factor analysis confirmed the multifaceted nature of teacher autonomy; however, somewhat different factor structures were found for the elementary and secondary teachers in this study, in comparison to that of Friedman. The TWA, without major modifications, appeared to be a valid and reliable instrument for use with a U.S. secondary sample but with limitation with an elementary sample. Elementary and secondary teachers perceived autonomy in the different factors in identical order, but with significant differences between their scores. Differences in school structure and conceptions of autonomy may have contributed to grade-level discrepancies. The findings suggest that administrators may be able to enhance teacher autonomy by releasing some of their power to include teachers in school leadership, specifically in the two areas teachers perceived with lowest autonomy: school finances and professional development.