Sensemaking of the Unexpected: A Qualitative Study in Understanding the Actions of South Texas School Board Members to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Angel Magallanes, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Israel Aguilar

Second Advisor

Federico Guerra

Third Advisor

Debra Arce

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to gather knowledge of how school board presidents make sense of unexpected situations and what influences, informs, or impacts their decision-making during situations void of information and filled with uncertainty for decision-making in the midst of an imminent crisis. The research was focused on the lived experiences of three school board presidents in South Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Utilizing an interpretive phenomenological analysis, I analyzed interviews and observations of recorded school board meetings as data sources that I could triangulate about the COVID-19 phenomenon for understanding how board members navigated unexpected and complex situations, created policies for the district to implement, and identified the limitations in their school board roles.

The data led to three overarching themes, and the three school board presidents’ sensemaking of the pandemic was formed through what they gathered via the media, various reports they received, superintendent updates, input from their communities, and comparing with neighboring districts. The first theme was previous knowledge for sensemaking, and its subtheme was limited input to planning. The second theme was sensemaking during COVID-19, and the three subthemes were (a) staying informed, (b) sensemaking through community, and (c) observing other districts. The third theme was action taken during COVID-19, and the three subthemes were (a) relinquishing power to the superintendent; (b) directives from local, state, and federal officials; and (c) a sense of doing what is right. The research provides a foundation to expand on the exploration of school board leadership in a crisis as providing meaning and sensemaking to an organization rather than taking action.

Comments

Copyright 2024 Angel Magallanes.

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/utrgv.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/pqdtglobal1/dissertations-theses/sensemaking-unexpected-qualitative-study/docview/3085371276/sem-2?accountid=7119

Recommended Citation

Magallanes, Angel, "Sensemaking of the Unexpected: A Qualitative Study in Understanding the Actions of South Texas School Board Members to the COVID-19 Pandemic" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 1513.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/1513