THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERCEPTION OF LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR, EFFECTIVENESS, AND CREATIVITY OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS IN MARYLAND

Abstract

The broad purpose of this study is to contribute knowledge to the selection of school principals. Specifically, the purpose of the study is to examine the relationships among measures of the variables of creativity, views of leader behavior, and effectiveness of secondary principals to determine variables that can be used for the selection, placement, and evaluation of secondary principals. Selected for participation in this study were 50 schools from school districts in Maryland, All teachers within the identified sample were requested to complete the Check List for the Evaluation of Secondary Principals (CLESP). By random procedures teachers were identified to complete the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire-XII (LBDQ-XII) which indicated their perceptions of their principal's leader behavior, Each principal was requested to complete the AC Test of Creative Ability, a paper-and-pencil test which can be administered to individuals or groups to estimate the creative potential of an individual. Findings:

The data provided evidence that at the .05 level creativity is not significantly related to perceptions of leader behavior of secondary principals. The data provided evidence that at the .OS level creativity is not significantly related to effectiveness of secondary principals. There was a significant (.05 level) relationship established between scores secondary principals receive relative to their perceived leader behavior and measures of their effectiveness. No significant relationship at the .05 level was found between the interaction effect of creative ability of principals with measures of their perceived leader behavior and effectiveness. Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest that the following conclusions may be drawn. The creative ability of secondary principals is not directly related to the leader behavior that they exhibit. The effectiveness of secondary principals as measured in this study is not directly related to their creative ability. Generally, the effectiveness of secondary principals is directly related to their exhibited and perceived leader behavior. Specifically, those principals who are effective are perceived by their teachers as individuals who can: handle conflicting demands; accept postponement and do not worry about outcomes of new procedures; have strong convictions and utilize arguments effectively; encourage initiative in their teachers and encourage teachers to use good judgement; are friendly and approachable; have things turn out right for them; build team work within their building; and are working to get to the top. On the other hand, the effectiveness of secondary principals is not related to their perceived ability to: act as a spokesman for teachers; let teachers know what is expected of them with regards to program balance; and, define his role as to his concern for his teachers as individuals. There is no interaction of creativity, perceptions of leadership behavior with respect to effectiveness. However, for prediction purposes concerning administrative effectiveness the secondary principal's perceived ability: to pull together his teachers; work with his superiors; represent his staff; maintain a closely knit organization; and resolve internal conflict emerge as important.