Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a difference in the perception of the presence of the 5 attributes of a learning organization between site leaders and teachers. Senge (1990) used the 5 areas of mental models, personal mastery, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking to describe the necessary elements of a learning organization. Method. This study used a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design. Forty-eight teachers and 4 principals at 4 school sites were surveyed using Park's (2008) Learning Organization Survey as well as semistructured interviews. Once teachers and principals took the survey, the results were analyzed and interview questions were created based on the results. Findings. Principals rated their school sites lower than teachers did. During interviews, principals cited a focus on improvement, unstable scores, and concerns around perspectives as potential reasons for the discrepancy. Conclusions. In contrast to the current literature, principals, in general, rated their school sites lower in comparison to their teachers. Recommendations. Future studies could include diving deeper into why principals rated their school sites more critically than their teachers did. Researchers could also look into understanding if principals or teachers are more accurate in their ratings, which would be beneficial in determining future professional development plans.