In pursuit of purpose : an exploration of the purpose of education

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of school administrators and teachers regarding the purposes of education and to compare it with the perceptions of policy-makers as expressed in mandated accountability efforts. Through the use of a researcher-designed questionnaire, a random sample of K-6 elementary school principals and classroom teachers in public schools in one state were asked to share their perceptions of 12 identified educational purposes by rating and ranking those purposes. Questionnaires were returned by 612 (77.1%) educators; 323 school administrators, 288 classroom teachers and 1 respondent whose job position was not indicated. Data were entered into the SPSS program for analysis. Both parametric and non-parametric tests were used in the analysis of the data. Descriptive statistics were generated and relationships identified through the development of Cross-tabulation tables. Pearson's chi-square values were calculated to determine significant differences in response. This study revealed high levels of concurrence between school administrators' and teachers' ratings of 12 identified educational purposes. Ranked highest were the purposes of Literacy and Knowledge with Democratic, Economic, Individual and Socialization following closely behind. Three of the purposes, Child Care, Social Mobility and Acculturation were rejected as purposes for education. Further, the results support the research and literature suggesting that multiple purposes are held for education. Beyond this, the findings also suggest concurrence between school administrators' and teachers' highest ranked purposes, Knowledge and Literacy, and those expressed by policy-makers in the mandating of standards and accountability.