Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice
Advisor
James Maddox
Committee Member
David Shellman
Committee Member
Ronald P. Kern
Keywords
educational leadership, leadership, preparation, principals, training
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine novice principals’ perceptions of effective leadership practices and the elements of their principal preparation program that prepared them for the role of school leader. A mixed-methods study was utilized by the researcher to gather quantitative data through the use of an online survey and to gather qualitative data through subsequent focus-group interviews to address the proposal’s three research questions: (a) What are the differences (if any) between the perceptions of novice elementary, middle, and high school principals regarding the five instructional leadership practices identified by Kouzes and Posner (2003; i.e., challenging the process, inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, modeling the way, and encouraging the heart)? (b) What principal instructional leadership practices do novice principals perceive to be the most important as measured by the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI-Self)? (c) To what extent do the respondents feel that principal preparation programs adequately prepare novice principals to be effective school leaders?
This study was conducted in two sequential phases. The first phase included administering the online survey questionnaire to novice principals who were within the first 3 years of their principalships to collect data on their perceptions of important instructional leadership practices. In the second phase, focus group interviews were conducted to explore the novice administrators’ perceptions and experiences to determine their perceptions of the effectiveness of their principal preparation programs in preparing them to be effective leaders. The researcher utilized the six Interstate Leadership Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards to develop interview questions with a focus on adequate program preparation (i.e., instructional leadership, vision, operations and management of school). Descriptive and inferential statistics (ANOVA) were used to analyze the quantitative data collected during the first phase of the study. Qualitative data in the second phase were analyzed by using a variety of what Miles and Huberman (1994) called "tactics for generating meaning,” and Rabiee’s (2004) and Mason’s (2006) frameworks. Data were linked through methodological triangulation and showed that although programs were aligned with ISLLC standards, the most integral component, building relationships and trust with families, was missing from the coursework. In general, the data showed that novice principals felt there should be tighter integration of coursework and clinical learning experiences, greater accountability for assessing competencies of principals and mentor-principals, and ongoing professional support.
NSUWorks Citation
Melissa Y. Wilson. 2012. Novice Principals’ Perceptions of Effective Leadership Practices and Their Principal Preparation Programs. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. (967)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/967.