Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this research was to determine the degree to which the elements of a resistance-based change model, Thomas R. Harvey's Checklist for Change (1990), can predict the success of the implementation of a mandated, complex change initiative, specifically, the full inclusion of developmentally delayed students in regular elementary classrooms in Orange County, California. Methodology. Descriptive research methods were utilized in this study. A questionnaire utilizing a nine-point Likert scale was completed by 115 general education teachers in grades kindergarten through sixth who have had a fully included, developmentally delayed student in their classrooms since the 1992 case ruling, Sacramento Unified School District v. Holland. Responses indicated the perceived degree to which each of Harvey's change steps occurred and the perceived degree of overall success of the change effort. The data generated went through descriptive, correlational, regression, and factor analyses. Findings and conclusions. The change steps in Harvey's model are substantially supported in the literature and Checklist for Change has predictive value for the implementation of a mandated change effort. Furthermore, a complex, mandated change can, for all practical purposes, be managed utilizing a planned change model, and a complex mandated change can be implemented with success even when there is little or no opportunity for implementors to share in the initial decision to change. Recommendations. The establishment and maintenance of a culture for change is necessary for schools to proactively act upon and react effectively to societal, political, and economic conditions that affect open systems. Education practitioners also need to focus on and balance both the individual and the organizational aspects of the change process if they want the change to be institutionalized and if they want to create an ongoing state of readiness for change. To ensure the aforementioned, educators need training related to the process and management of change with an emphasis on force-field analysis, strategies for overcoming resistance, and risk analysis.