SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS' LEADERSHIP STYLES AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION: TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS' LEADERSHIP STYLES AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION: TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVES (131 PP.)

Doctoral Dissertation Committee Chairs: Mitchell, Stephen, Ph.D.

The study aimed to identify the relationship between school leadership styles and communication styles from the perspective of teachers in midwestern suburban county schools district in Ohio. The study used the descriptive analytical methods to achieve its goals. It employed two questionnaires, the first, which was designed to measure leadership styles, consisted of (31) items while the second was designated to measure the communication methods, and it consisted of (7) items. The study was applied on a voluntary sample (n = 59) of teachers. Using the appropriate statistical tools, the study reached a number of conclusions: (a) A democratic style dominated among school principals, followed by a dictatorial style, and finally laissez-faire style, (b) oral communication was more prevalent, followed by communication through symbols, movements, and expressions, and (c)Statistically significant correlations were found between leadership styles and communication methods, but there was no correlation between laissez-faire style and communication through symbols, movements, and expressions. (d) there were no statistically significant differences at the level of significance (a≤0.05) in all study variables: gender, academic qualification, and year of experience.