Abstract
The use of deconstruction requires the belief that human thought swims in a language system that operates according to rules independent of the thought being expressed. This paper discusses the merit of using deconstruction in educational administration. Since educational administration is dependent upon language use, it is essential that those ideas that are "seen" and those that remain "hidden" in the language be explored. Deconstruction challenges assumptions in the language and explores the hidden contradictions in expressions. It is a tool for investigating textual meanings and the larger narratives that govern a discipline or a field of study. Deconstruction is a double reading of a text, where the first reading establishes the text's dominant interpretation and the second reading locates contradictions to that dominant perspective. It can be used to analyze the silences or gaps in a text and it can help locate prior ideas or concepts. For example, in deconstructing the concept of the school climate, it can be shown that nearly all modern educational administration texts draw on a model of organizational climate that was created from studies of bomber commanders and crew satisfaction. The model itself is rarely criticized for its contradictions and circularities. (Contains 31 references.) (RJM)