Secondary Education Principal Leadership Traits: The Relationship Between the Perception of Principals and Teachers

Secondary Education    Principals/Superintendents

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TITLE: Secondary Education Principal Leadership Traits: The Relationship Between the Perception of Principals and Teachers
 
RESEARCHER: Lisa Vitali
Graduate School of Education
Loyola University, Chicago
Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation: May 2005

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the views of secondary education principals and teachers regarding the leadership traits of principals.

METHODOLOGY
The sample was drawn from four large suburban high schools in Cook County, Illinois. Each principal completed the Leadership Practices Inventory — Self , and the teachers who participated from their school completed the LPI — Observer. The 197 teachers represented 26.5 percent of the possible participants, and 87 were males and 110 were females. Just over two-thirds had 1-4 years of experience with their principal.

KEY FINDINGS
Analysis by school showed significant differences between the perceptions of teachers and their individual principals regarding the principal’s leadership practices.