A study of the relationship between the principal's leadership style and the level of motivation of the teaching staff
Abstract
Purpose of the study. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between teachers' perceptions of the principals' leadership style and teacher motivation. Methodology. Two questionnaires, Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, were administered to teachers of seventeen randomly selected Middle Tennessee county public elementary schools with fifteen to twenty-five teachers each. Findings and conclusions. (1) Significant relationships were found at the.05 level between teacher motivation and the perceived leadership style of the principal. Teacher motivation subscales, intrinsic, extrinsic, and general satisfaction, were negatively correlated to each of the two leadership subscales, initiating structure and consideration behavior. Teachers in schools with principals who demonstrated low levels of initiating structure and consideration behavior were negatively correlated with teachers who demonstrated high motivation in intrinsic, extrinsic, and general satisfaction. (2) In the independent variable, sex, no significant difference was indicated between the groups in teachers' intrinsic, extrinsic, and general satisfaction. (3) The independent variable, age, indicated no significant difference within the groups in teachers' intrinsic, extrinsic, and general satisfaction. In the extrinsic subscale the younger group, ages 35 and under, exhibited the lowest motivation, while the older age group, ages 46 to 65, indicated the highest motivation. (4) The independent variable, length of experience of the teachers, indicated no significant difference with the groups in teachers' intrinsic, extrinsic, and general satisfaction. In the extrinsic subscale, by the years of experience groups, 1 to 12 years exhibited the lowest motivation, while the group 19 to 31 years and over indicated the highest motivation. The research should encourage principals to exhibit high levels of both initiating structure and consideration behavior of leadership styles. The research should assist principals and teachers to recognize intrinsic, extrinsic, and general satisfaction. Recognition of these facts may result in teachers attempting to increase intrinsic satisfaction with less extrinsic and general satisfaction.
Subject Area
School administration
Recommended Citation
Georgia B Everett,
"A study of the relationship between the principal's leadership style and the level of motivation of the teaching staff"
(1988).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI9017208.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI9017208