Abstract:
This study aims at investigating the degree of teacher’s practicing the process of empowerment as perceived by them. The study population consisted of 128 persons; 60 have responded to the questionnaire making 47%. The study covered five independent variables: sex, years of experience in teaching, specialization, academic rank, and nature of work; and one dependent variable which is the degree of teachers’ practicing the process of empowerment in Al-Balqa’ Applied University. The scale built by Short & Rinehart (1992) was adopted and modified to suit universities in Jordan in order to be used as a questionnaire in this study. It includes 32 items covering five fields: decision making, professional development, position, self-value, and effect. Analysis was carried out through calculating means, standard deviations and multiple anova analysis. The results were as follows: 1. Low levels of empowerment in the above mentioned fields; the empowerment levels ranged in a descending order as follows: decision making, professional development, self-value, effect, and position. 2. Most items that contain the higher empowerment level are in the field of decision making. 3. There are statistical significant differences at (α =0.05) in the effect of work nature in favor of staff members. 4. There are statistical significant differences at (α =0.05) in the effect of the academic rank in favor of the associate professor, assistant professor, and the assistant teacher as compared with the professor; and in favor of the assistant teacher as compared with the teacher, and in favor of the assistant teacher as compared with the teacher. 5. There are non-statistically significant differences at (α =0.05) in the effect of sex, experience, and specialization. In light of the above conclusions, the researcher recommends that: - More empowerment should be given to faculty members in Al-Balqa’ Applied University and other academic institutions and in all fields in an equal and comparable way that fits to the teacher’s academic rank. - More studies should be carried out in this field.
