Teachers' perceptions of tolerance in teacher-administrator relationships in Turkey

The concept of tolerance is closely related to education. There has been a growing body of literature on the issue of tolerance in schools, since it directly influences the school climate. This study has investigated teacher perceptions of tolerance in teacher-administrator relationships in state schools in Turkey. A sample of 308 teachers was surveyed. The validity of dimensions of tolerance was established. Teacher perceptions were found to differ according to experience; no significant differences were found regarding participants' gender and age. A significant difference was found according to whether participants had previously received human rights training and there was a negative relationship between administrator tolerance/administrator intolerance and administrator intolerance/teacher tolerance. The study concluded that there should be a balance in teacher-administrator and teacher-teacher relationships. The suggestion is made that high levels of tolerance may yield intolerance.