0.1 Klinger, a., & Wronkovich, m. (april 2011). replicating  (Page 5/9)

The simulation scenario focused on decision-making at the building level for school administrators and presented participants with conflicting parties and viewpoints, which had to be reconciled in some manner to reach a satisfactory outcome. The simulation was designed to be gender, racially, and ethnically neutral - the participant’s role as principal was never assigned any gender, race, or ethnicity. This ensured that participants made decisions as “themselves”, not as a pre-conceived person or role.

When participants launched the simulation from the link provided, they were presented with a narrator who became the common thread running through the simulation. The narrator began by setting the stage with an introduction to the school including demographics and background, and assigned the participants the role of principal. The participants then interacted with video segments where they were directly confronted and addressed by various stakeholders who were upset about a controversial event scheduled at the school. As principal, the participants were required to make an initial decision as to whether to hold the event or cancel it, which triggered the path of the rest of the simulation, and began a series of “ripple-effect” results that required additional decision-making, as often happens in the real world of school administration.

The researchers created a complex series of paths that fanned out from the participant’s original decision. These individual plot lines illustrated the consequence or outcome that resulted from the decision. As in real life, unpredictable or unforeseen elements were introduced. By the time the content of the simulation was completed, participants had presented with four or five possible decision-making points comprising more than 25 potential outcomes.

As participants viewed each segment, additional factors and consequences were unveiled allowing the participants to make informed decisions at each decision point. Participants had to make determinations about speaking with the media, disciplining students, meeting with parents, considering the demands of agenda-driven groups, and working collaboratively with other administrators in a politicized situation, to name just a few.

When participants made choices that lead to results that did not improve the chances for reconciliation, the outcomes were less desirable. By the end of the simulation activity, the participants ended up along a continuum of outcomes that ranged from the satisfactory to the catastrophic. After completing the simulation, the participants had an opportunity to reflect on the choices made in relation to their outcome. If the outcome was undesirable, the participant was encouraged to review their steps and reflect on how in an actual decision making situation they could optimize their chances for a satisfactory reconciliation. After completing the study answer document, participants were able to go back through the simulation, making different choices in an effort to recreate a more desirable outcome. This allowed participants to apply the lessons learned to the real world of educational decision-making.