Organisational trust in schools: A critical review of empirical research in Turkey

Abstract

The aim of this study was to conduct an in-depth analysis of the articles focusing on organisational trust in Turkish schools published between 2005 and 2017 and systematically review the findings, results and suggestions reported in these articles. A total of 46 articles were examined in the study in which thematic content analysis, a qualitative research method, was used. This systematic review showed correlational model, which is a quantitative research method, and was often employed in the literature. The correlational studies mostly focused on the relationships between organisational trust and the concepts of organisational commitment, organisational justice, organisational citizenship and school culture. Organisational trust was reported to be above moderate level based on the perceptions of the sample. Organisational trust in schools were examined mostly in the dimensions of trust in administrator, trust in colleagues, trust in student and parents, trust in staff, communicative environment and openness to innovation. In the studies, researchers were suggested to conduct further studies with different school types and samples and use qualitative research methods. As for practitioners, administrators were suggested to exhibit fair behaviours, determine and eliminate the elements that reduce trust in school, and implement open-door policies in communication. Since trust among individuals is embedded and implicit in the structure of interpersonal or organisational relationships, qualitative and longitudinal studies can be conducted to examine the concept of organisational trust in detail in the future.