Resistance to Change in the Romanian Educational System: Challenges and Opportunities

The traditional perspective on education, teaching, and learning is no longer sufficient in fluid societies exposed to dramatic and rapid changes. The need for continuous educational reform is evident. However, recent paradigmatic societal shifts, extreme events, and extraordinary scientific and technological advances underscore the urgency of these changes. These developments highlight the necessity for innovation and the reduction of intergenerational gaps in educating new generations. By embracing these changes, we can create a more inclusive, adaptable, and innovative educational environment for all. While the Romanian educational system, like many traditional systems, is extensive in its spatial coverage, material resources, human resources, and the number of beneficiaries served, it also presents an opportunity for positive change. Its highly centralized, over-normative, and strictly structured nature, with a top-down control approach, has fostered systemic inertia and resistance to change. However, this also means that with the right strategies, the system can be transformed into a more dynamic and adaptable one. Effective and sustainable reforms are not just the responsibility of policymakers and educational leaders. They require initial assessments of the status quo to identify genuine needs for change and to determine possible obstacles and available resources. Real change and innovation are promoted and supported by a clear definition and understanding of the factors that generate and maintain inertia and resistance to change. Identifying and understanding these complex mechanisms at both the organizational and individual levels should precede any change plan, emphasizing the crucial role of each individual in the process. To identify individual motivations that can generate opposition or resistance to potential change requests within the educational system, we conducted a study involving 293 in-service and pre-service teachers from the Department of Educational Sciences at the West University of Timisoara. The study utilized the Resistance to Change Scale developed by Oreg (2003), a widely recognized and validated tool, which evaluates the primary factors determining resistance to change: routine seeking, emotional reaction, short-term focus, and cognitive rigidity. This scale was administered through a structured questionnaire and the data was analyzed using statistical methods. This study revealed notable variations in attitudes toward change based on gender, residency, and professional status (in-service and pre-service teachers). These findings underscore the importance of addressing both systemic and individual factors to facilitate meaningful and lasting reforms in education. By understanding and mitigating the sources of resistance, educational leaders can implement strategies such as fostering a culture of innovation, providing professional development opportunities, and involving stakeholders in decision-making, that foster a more adaptable and innovative educational environment.