Abstract:
The state-wide implementation of an educational innovation was examined from both systems and phenomenological perspectives. In the former, multivariate analyses revealed that structural variables had a greater explanatory power than either situational or personal variables in accounting for variations in the use of the innovation in schools. These findings were in broad agreement with previous innovation adoption studies. The inability of 31% of schools to implement the innovation successfully was interpreted through the perceptions of the teacher/users, principals and other staff in a sample of schools representing various levels in the process. It was concluded that the role changes demanded of the teachers by the innovation were too dramatic to be adopted easily in the three year time-frame of the study.