Other Other
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine leadership preferences of school leaders in Mitchell’s Plan, a disadvantaged area of Western Cape province (South Africa).
METHODOLOGY Persons employed as principals or deputy principals in the Mitchell’s Plain area of the Cape Flats were the subjects of this research; 67 respondents participated. In addition to providing demographic data, the LPI-Self was completed. There were 28 females (42%) and 39 males in the group; their ages ranging from the 30s to the 50s. Nearly all were members of a teacher’s union (94%); and most reported being in their current position for less than three years. Thirty-four were graduates of the University of Western Cape and 33 got their degrees elsewhere.
KEY FINDINGS No differences in overall LPI scores were found between graduates of UWC and elsewhere, nor were differences found on the basis of gender or age. Most univariate tests were not significant, with the exception that males reported more frequent use of Enabling than females, and the youngest age group (30s) reported less Encouraging than their older cohorts (40s, 50s).
The researcher in considering questions of the LPI’s validity in crosscultural research, noted that “in informal discussions with South African participants who took the LPI, the participants agreed enthusiastically that the questions on the instrument measured leadership” (p.116).
NOTE This was also subsequently published, with the same title, in The Journal of Leadership Studies, Winter 2002 (Volume 8: Number 3), pp. 63-78.