Silent Screams: Reflections of Favoritist Management Practices in Education

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the viewpoints of the teachers regarding the favoritist attitudes and behaviors of the school principals. A phenomenological research design was employed in this study. The study group consisted of 12 teachers selected through maximum variation sampling. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview form and analyzed through content analysis. The findings indicated that school principals engaged in favoritism in several domains, including course scheduling, class profile, duty roster, planned activities, parent profile, leave permissions, welcoming important guests, additional tasks, and the facilitating of work. It was further identified that principals’ favoritist attitudes and behaviors were grounded in criteria such as relatives/friends, length of service within the school, private situations, contributions to the school, and gender. The study revealed diverse insights into how such favoritist practices influence teachers’ attitudes toward the school, their performances, their professional attitudes toward the teaching profession, and their interactions with educational stakeholders. The results demonstrated that favoritist attitudes and behaviors of the school principals exert both positive and negative effects on teachers’ professional attitudes, performance levels, and relationships with students, meanwhile negatively influencing their attitudes toward the school as well as their interactions with colleagues and parents. The study also highlighted teachers’ suggestions concerning measures related to teachers, school principals, and appointment criteria to prevent favoritist practices within schools. Based on the overall findings, a set of recommendations was proposed to enhance the potential positive outcomes of favoritism while preventing its detrimental effects.