School transparency as a predictor of organizational trust

Today, the gradual weakening of trust in institutions leads to serious social and administrative problems in a wide range of areas, from public administration to the private sector, from non-governmental organizations to digital platforms, and in this context, the concept of transparency stands out as one of the important elements affecting trust. Transparency is the state where the actions and practices of a person, institution, or system are clear, understandable, and traceable, while trust is the state where an individual willingly allows themselves to be vulnerable based on their belief that others will act in good faith. Transparency and trust are important concepts for both the individual and the organization, and the fundamental and first step toward achieving organizational trust is establishing a transparent organizational culture. This research aims to determine the relationship between public school teachers' perceptions of school transparency and their levels of organizational trust in the context of social exchange theory. The study group, which was structured with a correlational survey study, consists of a total of 595 teachers working in public schools in one province of Türkiye, selected by convenience sampling method from seven different geographical regions. Data was collected using the "School Transparency Scale" and the "Organizational Trust Scale." Parametric tests were used to compare demographic variables in the study, and multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictive value of school transparency on organizational trust. As a result of the research, it was determined that teachers' perceptions of overall school transparency and school transparency in the dimensions of participation in decision-making and information flow were "high", while their perceptions of school transparency in the dimension of accountability were "medium"; and their levels of overall organizational trust and organizational trust in the three sub-dimensions were "high". The research also concluded that there was a positive, significant, and high-level relationship between school transparency and organizational trust. It was found that classroom teachers' perceptions of overall school transparency and school transparency in the dimensions of participation in decision-making and accountability were higher than that of subject matter teachers; that teachers with bachelor's degrees had higher perceptions of school transparency than that of postgraduate graduates; and that teachers working in primary and secondary schools had higher perceptions of school transparency than that of high school teachers. The research also found that classroom teachers' trust in the institution was higher than that of subject matter teachers; that teachers with bachelor's degrees had higher general organizational trust and higher levels of institutional trust than that of postgraduate graduates; and that teachers working in primary and secondary schools had higher organizational trust levels than that of high school teachers. In the context of the limitations of the study, various suggestions were made to increase school transparency and organizational trust.