Teachers and Decision-Making Processes: An Italian Exploratory Study on Individual and Collaborative Decisions

Oct 15, 2026

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Research examines how Italian teachers make decisions in both individual classroom contexts and collaborative meeting settings. It contrasts the decision-making features that appear when teachers work alone versus in groups, emphasizing teachers’ involvement during meetings and how participants process information. A questionnaire was administered to 411 teachers in Italian basic schools (ages 3–14) and 18 meetings were observed, identifying main modalities, instructional decision characteristics, and heuristics and biases used in teaching activities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Theoretical framework

Individual decisions

Teachers and Decision-Making Processes: An Italian Exploratory Study on Individual and Collaborative Decisions Davide Parmigiani University of Genoa Abstract This research was aimed at highlighting the decision-making processes of Italian teachers; in particular, we have focused on individual and collaborative decisions developed both during meetings and in the classroom. The study has underlined the features of teachers’decisions when decisions are made in groups and individually. A questionnaire was administered to teachers (N=411) of Italian basic schools (pupils aged between 3 and 14 years old) and, in addition, we observed 18 meetings. The findings ofthis research indicate the main modalities for teachers’decisions when they work individually or in groups. For group decisions, we emphasize the level of teachers’ involvement during meetings and how the participants process the information; from an individual point of view, we pinpoint the main features of instructional decisions and what types of heuristics and biases teachers use during instructional activities. Résumé Cette recherche mis en évidence les processus de décision des enseignants italiens à l’école. En particulier, nous nous sommes concentrés sur les décisions individuelles développées dans la classe et sur les décisions en group pendant les réunions. L’étude a souligné lescaractéristiques des décisions des enseignants lorsque les décisions sont prises en groupe etindividuellement. Un questionnaire a été administré à des enseignants (N = 411) des écoles maternelle, élémentaires et du collège italiennes (élèves âgés entre 3 et 14) et, en outre, nous avons observé 18 réunions. Les résultats de cette recherche indiquent les principales modalités de décisions des enseignants quand ils travaillent individuellement ou en groupe. Pour les décisions en groupe, nous soulignons le degré d'implication des enseignants pendant les réunions et comment les participants traitent les informations; d’un point de vue individuel, nous identifions les principales caractéristiques de décisions pédagogiques et quels types d’heuristiques et d’erreurs sont utilisés par les enseignants pendant les activités en classe. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION 35,1 (2012): 171-186 ©2011 Canadian Society for the Study of Education/ Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation Teachers and Decision-Making Processes: An Italian Exploratory Study on Individual and Collaborative Decisions Introduction Decision-making processes have been studied in many fields: medical, legal, economic, military, in everyday life, factories, and service industries (Clemen & Reilly, 2001; Hastie & Dawes 2001). The theme of decision-making at school has been dealt with in several international studies, some focus on school effectiveness and the relationships between administrators and principals (David, 1994; Glasman & Fuller, 1992; Griffin, 1995; Hayes, 1996; Jenkins, Schrag, Rude, & Stowitschek, 1994; Kannapel, Moore, Coe, & Aagaard, 1995; Kreiner, 1976), and others focus on the teachers’ instructional decisions that enhance the activities in the classroom (Maloch et al. 2003; McMillan, 2003; Nevo, 1995; Penso & Shoham 2003). Unfortunately, those important issues were not studied in Italy. For this reason, we carried out a survey aimed at highlighting the decision-making processes of the Italian teachers. In particular, we have focused on the individual decisions—which are developed when the teachers work in the classroom with the students—and on the collaborative ones, when the teachers debate among themselves during meetings. The context of the Italian schools is complex because an educational institution is composed of three distinct school levels, in which different kinds of teachers work. Furthermore, teachers of the different levels have to attend several meetings, where they debate mutual issues and questions concerning the educational life of the institution. So, it has been important to o

FAQs

What does the study focus on regarding teachers’ decisions?

It focuses on individual decisions made in the classroom and collaborative decisions developed during meetings, comparing their decision-making features.

How was the research conducted?

The study used a questionnaire with 411 Italian basic-school teachers and included observation of 18 meetings.

What does the research identify about decision-making in groups versus individually?

For group decisions, it highlights teachers’ involvement and participants’ information processing; for individual decisions, it pinpoints instructional decision characteristics and the heuristics and biases teachers use during classroom activities.

Oct 15, 2026

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