Professional Documents
Culture Documents
MODULE ONE
1. define and explain the meaning of some terms used in Systems Analysis
Within a system are inputs, process outputs. Inputs are the human, materials, financial,
or information resources used to produce a product or a service. Through technology and
administrative functions the inputs undergo a transformation process. In school, the interaction
In the study of a system, we can come across with the terms subsystem, and suprasystem
Subsystem is a small system within the big system. It has its own purpose and is there for the
purpose of the system. It has its own parts and components which are determined by the overall
purpose of the system for which it is a part. The components of a subsystem work in an
integrated or interrelated manner. Subsystem is also called microsystem.
Suprasystem is the largest system that includes both the system and its subsystem. The
suprasystem has its subsystem such as the political system, educational system, cultural system
and economic system. Suprasystem is also called macrosystem.
1. In all the foregoing definitions, which of the following attributes could be deduced from
the term System. Check the blank that corresponds to your answer.
1. Subsystem _________________________________
2. Suprasystem _________________________________
5. Feedback _________________________________
6. Input _________________________________
7. Process _________________________________
8. Output _________________________________
MODULE TWO
1. gain knowledge and skills on the theories and approaches used in Systems Analysis
Systems Theory
Environment
Organization
Feedback
Figure 2 shows the pattern of interrelationships among the factors within a school system.
Inputs. The environment provides it with personnel, financing, theory, knowledge. The
national and local governments enact laws that regulate the school. In addition, other groups
may make demands on the school. Students, for example, want relevant curriculum that will
prepare them for employment. Teachers might want higher salary, better working conditions,
and fringe benefits. Similarly, the community expects the school to provide quality education.
In this situation where each group has its demands, it is the job of the school administrator to
integrate these diverse goals into a viable plan of action.
Process. This includes the internal operation of the organization or school and its system
of operational management. The administrator has to utilize his technical competence in
communication, decision making, curriculum development, motivation, developing
organizational culture and his leadership styles in transforming the inputs into outputs.
Outputs. These include student achievement, growth, dropout, attitude toward school,
teacher performance, employee job satisfaction, employee-management relations and school-
community relations, among others.
Finally, the external environment or the suprasystem reacts to these outputs and provides
feedback to the school system. If the feedback is positive, then the school’s stability can be
maintained. If negative, it can be used to correct deficiencies in administrator’s operational plan
of action which in turn will have an effect on the school’s output.
Feedback
Figure 1
Research Paradigm
A. Reasoned Reaction. Write A if you Agree with the statement. If you Disagree, write D
and support your stand.
_______________2. Input is actually the load of the system which consists of all the things that
enter into it.
_______________3. Anyone who intends to analyze a system should include all the elements
that impinge upon the system.
_______________6. The cycle of the input-output design can be reversed depending upon the
purpose of the researcher.
_______________7. The individual in a social system while interacting with other individuals
operates as a completely unique individual.
B. Using the input-output ( IPO) research paradigm, formulate a research problem that
requires assessment of existing conditions. Indicate the inputs, Process (s) and Outputs.
Explain your paradigm and justify the inclusion on each factor or variable as input, process,
or output.
MODULE THREE
In analyzing the school as a system in itself, it is necessary to identify all the subsystems
within the school environment. It is through the interaction among these subsystems that the
Within the school system are the social systems, cultural systems and economic systems.
(Zwaenepoel, 1985). These three systems are integral parts of the school systems. Any change
in one of these systems affects the others. They are closely interrelated. For example, a high
drop-out rate affects the economic stability of the school system. In effect, this causes a social
problem to the school. At the same time, students belonging to the low-income class may be
deprived of participating in socio-cultural activities. The faculty members may also be affected
in terms of their salary rate. On the other hand, increases in tuition fees among private schools
could affect the smooth relationship between administrators and students.
In addition to the above classification of subsystems Hanson (1991) identified eight types
of subsystems and the related variables under each type. He calls these as the general properties
of an educational system.
The Subsystems within the School System in Relation to the Subsystems in the Society
It is enough to identify the subsystems within the school and the subsystems in the
society. We have to look into their relationships since they are inseparable entities of which one
affects the other.
Thus, if want to determine the contribution of the school system to the various systems of
society, we have to identify the needs to the society that the school is supposed to satisfy. These
needs are: social, cultural, economic, political and technological.
In the social aspect, the school must consider the socio-economic mobility of the
graduates, that is, they would be able to move to a higher status, lesson the social problems in the
community, and minimize social and discriminating social stratifications in the community.
In the cultural aspect, national security, national identity, solidarity, Filipinism, have to be
strengthened in the school curriculum.
In the economic realm, the manpower needs of the community must be determined in
relation to curriculum offerings. There ought to be a linkage between the schools, and business,
and industry in order to ensure the employability of the graduates. Briefly, there should be a
balance between the quantity of educational output and the market demand for labor.
In the political arena, the school must develop among the students and the community, a
critical, logical, analytic, and rational mind, especially in the choice of leaders in the local,
regional, and national levels. Political consciousness and awareness must be developed among
the students in appropriate subject areas.
In the technological aspect, the advances in science and technology call for curriculum
enrichment, revision, and modification and re-training of teachers in these areas.
The foregoing has defined the relationship between the subsystems within the school and
the subsystems in the society. We have learned that their relationship is functional rather than
cause-and-effect relationship.
Indicators of the Contribution of the School System to the Social, Cultural, Economic,
Political, and Technological Subsystem of Society through the Individuals
3. Amount of on-the-job training given annually to the labor force by occupation, formal
education, and industry.
1. Which of the subsystems in the school system should be given priority in making a
annual action plan?
2. How does the relationship between school policy and teacher behavior, differ from the
relationship between the subsystems in the school and the subsystems in the society?
3. Explain why in Systems Analysis, all the components of the school system must be
analyzed?
MODULE FOUR
OBJECTIVES
For example, the problem on why teachers stay for many years in a particular school is
research on a particular problem. Questionnaire could be designed which will indicate the
various reasons which may explain why faculty members prefer to stay. These reasons may
belong to the social subsystem, the cultural subsystem, and the economic subsystem of a
particular school or school system. Thus, the questionnaire based on the systems approach
would include items belonging to the social subsystem, cultural subsystem, and economic
subsystem.
A model questionnaire (by Zwaenepoel, 1985) is given here for better understanding of
the systems approach (Note: The emphasis is on the items under each type of subsystems. No
instruction is given for the participant to do)
1. The principal supports teachers who encounter difficulties with parents and students.
3. The goals and ideals of the school are consistent with the community and national
development goals.
6. The desirable Filipino values like “pakikisama,” “utang-na-loob,” “hiya” etc. are keenly
observed here.
Step: 2: Gather quantitative and qualitative data on the economic, social, and cultural subsystem
of the educational program and their interrelationships.
financial resources
human resources
physical resources
teachers
students
Aims
The data gathered on the different subsystem could be analyzed in terms of their
interrelationships with given standards. For example, data on the interrelationships on the
economic subsystem could be compared with given standards in terms of: per student cost; salary
structure; budgeting system income-expense, and percentage of expenses for salaries, etc.
Step 3: Construct an evaluative instrument which can gauge the students’ knowledge,
skills, attitudes and values after the educational program had been implemented.
Administer the instrument to students at the entry level and exit level of the educational
program and subsequently compare the results of the evaluation at the entry level and exit level
in order to determine what the students have acquired in terms of knowledge, skills, attitudes,
and values.
Step 4: Analyze and interpret data gathered about the inputs and its processes (obtained
under Step 2) and the outputs (obtained under Step 3) which is the level of
knowledge and skills acquired and the attitude and values developed among the
students. Vis-à-vis the aims and objectives of the educational program being
evaluated.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Using the questionnaire on why teachers prefer to stay in a certain school, construct a
questionnaire to determine why students prefer to study in a certain school.
1-5
1-5
1-5
MODULE FIVE
OBJECTIVES
Concept of Planning
In planning, we don’t wait for problems to occur before taking action. We should
continuously assess progress, objectives, and past decisions by observing present conditions and
by studying trends, forecast and predictions.
Gleaned from the foregoing discussion, we can define planning as an executive action
that involves anticipating influencing, and controlling the nature and direction of change.
Planning also means thinking that takes place prior to actions or decisions. It is done to decide
what to do and how to do it before taking concrete action.
There are four managerial problems that may enter into the process of planning. These
are evaluation or assessment of present conditions, time factor, collection and analysis of data,
and the existence of a hierarchy of plans within the school as an organization.
The factor. The time span which planning covers ranged from relatively short-term to
long-term duration. The planner faces a time span ranging from the immediate present to the
indeterminate future. Short-term planning is concerned with the near future, like plan for one
school year or the next two or three years. Long-term planning may cover the next five to ten
years.
Collection and analysis of data. Planning depends for its effectiveness on the quality and
quantity of data available to the planner. It is necessary to identify reliable sources of
information, evaluate the worth of these sources and judge the value of the materials.
Information in planning may be classified as internal and external. Internal data consist of
records of costs, production sales, labor requirements, knowledge of quotas, objectives, and other
strategic matters describing the existing conditions. External sources include a large number of
regular newspapers, periodicals, and other publication from industry, community, and
government.
Hierarchy of plans. This pertains to plans that are arranged according to degree of
importance. The higher the level of the organization, the broader and longer the scope and
coverage of the plan is. Judging the degree of importance of the various plans in the school
system helps the planner to see how his particular planning must fit into the other existing or
contemplated plans. For example, in the preparation of the overall budget for the school year,
each unit of department prepares its particular budget by requesting its subdivisions to prepare
their budget. Thus each level plans its budget and the successively higher levels incorporate the
budgetary plans of those below.
Educational Planning
3. The educational system is not adjusted to the requirements in the labor market which
results in the oversupply of graduates.
5. There is discontent among the youth on many issues against the school
Paradigm on Planning
Harry M.W.J. (1982) gave the following advantages of using systems approach in
educational planning.
1. It assumes that a system has a plan which is systematically working towards the
accomplishment of specified and operationally defined achievements. Meaning the system is
always having an aim.
2. A system is adaptive, flexible, and will take the options and constraints of its
environment into consideration while trying to reach its aims.
3. It assumes that the system has a built-in mechanism of quality control, that evaluates the
adequacy of all components in the system and provides feedback about the progress in the
direction of the aim.
4. A system will try to minimize the input needed and the same time maximize the output.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
4. One factor that necessities planning for change in the school system is
_______________________________________________________________________.
MODULE SIX
OBJECTIVES
analyze the components and principles underlying small group as an open system
list and explain the major input, throughout, and output variables in a small group
system and provide examples of their interdependence
Through experience we have observed that when a new person joins a group, the group
changes in some ways. For example, when a new baby is brought into a family all family
relationships will change, including between parents, between the other children, and between
the parents and the children. Eventually, new relationships must be accommodated between
everyone else and the new baby. This illustrates how the situation in the family is transformed
into a system where a set of relationships among interdependent, interacting components and
forces is established. As we have learned in the previous modules, general systems theory is
built upon an analysis of living entities as they attempt to remain in dynamic balance with the
environment by constant adjustment. This situation is also true with a small group like groups
formed during seminars and workshops.
There are principles to be considered when analyzing a small group as an open system.
An open system is a situation where the group interacts freely with the environment. Open
principle is what we call interdependence which states that the parts of a system do not operate
in isolation but continuously affect each other. For example when the cheerful chair of a
committee comes to a group meeting a grouchy mood, the members will feel uneasy and the
group’s normally effective decision-making will be impaired. This happens because being
independent in the actions we take, sometimes there are unanticipated consequences that will
affect all the members of the group.
Another principle is multiple causation which states that whatever happens in a system
is not the result of a single, simple cause, but is produced by a complex interrelationships among
multiple forces. At this instance, we can invoke the argument that “the act of one is the act of
all”.
The variables of a system are its characteristics or dimensions. They are classified into
individual-level or system-level. Individual-level variables are the properties of individual
members, such as their traits, skills, abilities, expertise, values, and attitudes. System-level
variables are characteristics of the group as a whole such as societal and cultural norms, degree
of cohesiveness, and procedures the group uses. The individual-level and the system-level
variables are interdependent within themselves and with each other. However, there may be a
situation where the individual-level variable is not congruent with the system-level variable. For
example, the information (individual-level) a member wants to share during a group discussion,
is not acceptable to the majority of the members due to moral norms (system-level). This will
adversely affect the output of the group work.
In a small group, the input variables are the components from which a small group is
formed and that it uses to do its work. These may include the members, their reasons for the
formation of the group, resources such as information, money, expertise, and tools; and
environmental conditions influences the group. These variables determine the success of the
group.
The output variables of a group are the tangible work accomplished such as written
reports, and policies developed, changes in members’ commitment and increased self-confidence
among others.
Just as input, throughout, and output variables are interdependent, so is a group highly
interdependent with its environment or the setting in which the group exists. Most groups are
part of a larger organizational structure and must interact with individuals and other groups
within that structure. The reason for this is that, most groups are not self-groups are not self-
contained entities but are highly dependent on their environments. Figure 1 shows the
interrelationships of the variables in a group as an open system.
The figures shows that there are many variables, included in each of the main system
categories. The inputs flows into the machinery of the system where they are processed and
changed during the throughput process. The exit channel at the bottom represents the system’s
outputs. The tube on the right side represents the feedback channel that provides responses to the
system’s outputs.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
1. Give one concrete example (situational) for each of the following principles underlying a
small group as an open system.
a. interdependence
b. nonsummativity
c. multiple causation
2. Explain how you would reconcile different ideas expressed by each group member in
order to arrive at wise decisions.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bilhart, John and Gloria Galanes, Katherine Adams. Effective Group Discussion. New York:
McGraw-Hill 2001
Hanson, Mark E. Educational Behavior and Organizational Behavior. Mass: Allyn and
Bacon, 1991
Henry, Nicolar. Public Administration and Public Affairs. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall,
1995.
Lunenberg, Fred. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice. New York: McGraw-
Hill, 1991.