This study of the supervisory activities of the Utah high school principals vas originally planned by the Utah State Department of Public Instruction and the Utah Secondary School Principals' Association, to be a part of a questionnaire study on the status of the Utah high school principal. As it was later not included in the status study, the supervision study became a study by itself.

Much of the recent literature on effective schools has intuitively connected the leadership role of the school principal , and school learning environment, to the achievement of organisational outcomes such as those related to teacher performance. Transformational leadership theory has cast these relations in a new perspective, where advocates have claimed that transformational leaders are more able to manipulate environmental contexts so as to achieve their organisational objectives compared to transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles. This study examines the effects of different types of secondary principals’ leadership behaviours on aspects of a school’s learning environment, and selected teacher outcomes. A synergy was achieved by undertaking two studies drawing upon a multi-method approach. Results are significant for those who exercise leadership authority in schools, and are contrary to the findings suggested by transformational leadership literature. Practitioners will welcome the opportunity to tailor leadership behaviours to achieve specific school learning environment and teacher outcome objectives, while those involved in principal training will recognise the potency of the behavioural aspects of the transformational and transactional paradigms / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This study examined the literature on leadership and counselling to determine their similarities, and investigated how principals perceived their leadership role in terms of the theories of counselling and contemporary leadership. It further explored the implications of the findings for the selection, performance appraisal and professional development of principals. The research was divided into four stages. Firstly, the literature of effective counsellors and educational leaders was reviewed to find their significant similarities. Secondly, 116 principals from Government and Catholic primary, secondary and special schools in Sydney, NSW, Australia were involved in a Q-sort survey to prioritise what they deemed to be the essential emphases of effective educational leaders in schools. Analysis was by descriptive quantitative methods to provide a basis for subsequent interviews and qualitative analysis. Thirdly, structured interviews were carried out with thirteen of these principals to cast further light on the Q-sort survey results. Qualitative analysis was largely based on Bohm???s interpretation of Strauss???s axial coding paradigm. Fourthly, content analysis was carried out on formal documents of the NSW Department of School Education and the Catholic School System of the Sydney Diocese to determine the degree of congruence between selection criteria, criteria for performance appraisal and components of professional development programs for principals and the emphases in the literature and the responses of principals in this study. Contemporary literature on both leadership and counselling emphasised the importance of the leader???s/counsellor???s authenticity, empathy, respect, and effective communication skills. Principals prioritised these counselling-related attributes after a focus on students and strategic leadership but ahead of organisation, resource management, evaluating and controlling. Some ranking differences by gender, years of experience, type of school and school system were noted and discussed. Document analysis revealed that the criteria by which principals are selected, appraised and professionally developed do not include an emphasis on the counselling-related attributes which is commensurate with the importance afforded these attributes both in contemporary leadership theory and from the principals??? own view of their role. Implications of these findings for theory, practice and further research were explored and recorded.

The purpose of this research study was to consider the understanding and experience of a selected number of lay principals of diocesan secondary Catholic schools in Victoria as to the religious and spiritual dimensions of their leadership role and to identify what supported them in the discharge of their responsibilities in these domains of their leadership. Based on this purpose, I identified three research questions: 1. What is the understanding of lay Catholic secondary principals in Victoria, of their role as a ministry within the Catholic Church? 2. In what ways have principals experienced the spiritual and religious dimensions of their leadership role? 3. In what ways have principals sought and/or experienced formation beyond academic study which has enriched their practice of principalship? The theoretical perspective of the research is Interpretative Constructionism and the methodology adopted is Multiple Informant Case Study. The researcher has taken the stance of ‘interrogatory fellow traveller’ in relation to the research informants. The methods used to gather data are (a) focus group, (b) biographical written statements, (c) document analysis and (d) personal reflection in response to the previous three methods. In general, the findings of this research study suggest that lay principals of Catholic secondary schools who were informants in the study understand the role of principal of a diocesan secondary school as a ministry within the Catholic Church. While the informants did not use overtly theological terms to articulate this understanding, the accounts of their experience in principalship and the insights gained through reflection on their leadership behaviour have led them to believe that they are in fact exercising a legitimate ministry within the field of Catholic secondary education in Victoria. This research has brought to light a body of knowledge about the work of a group of principals which has not previously been subject to critical scrutiny. While the study is of intrinsic merit in recognising and describing the work of secondary lay principals, from an instrumental perspective these findings raise a number of issues relating to the preparation, induction and support available to newly appointed and continuing principals in diocesan Catholic secondary schools in Victoria. As a consequence the following propositions are offered: Further study using a wider informant group of principals is warranted to confirm the findings of this enquiry and to expand on the knowledge already gained. Such study might include parallel studies of lay principals in congregation-owned schools, in other states of Australia or in other countries where the Catholic Church has established schools as an agency of its evangelising mission in education. This study is of potential assistance to aspiring principals, principals and system authorities in the planning and development of appropriate professional learning and support, including formal academic study and formational opportunities. The findings confirm the importance for leaders and aspiring leaders in Catholic education of sound theological and spiritual education as a necessary part of their preparation for leadership, both pre-service and in-service. The findings confirm the significance of appropriate liturgical induction or commissioning for principals. It is suggested that one practical form of support for principals is the provision of access to regular professional supervision and spiritual direction. It is recommended that the process of appointment and induction of principals be undertaken more systematically, perhaps using the principles of project management, especially in relation to the identification of enhancing and inhibiting factors present within the staff community at the time of the appointment of a new principal. The findings indicate that schools have had varied experiences of developing a distinctive ethos and charism, based on a particular founder or group of founders. It is recommended that all diocesan secondary schools be encouraged to develop an appropriate charism and spirituality, based on the character of the local faith community and the history of the particular school. The findings point to the need for further development of an authentic spirituality of educational and faith leadership, based in the reality of principals’ lives as family and community members and educators in faith of their staff and wider community. Informants to the study indicated their awareness of the tension between occupying a leadership role in the Church and personal positions in conscience on matters of Church teaching. Some further study of this issue may be warranted.

The focus of this research project was the changing perception amongst practising Catholic school principals of the nature and purpose of the contemporary Catholic school. This examination was set within the changing social, ecclesial and educational contexts within which the Catholic school has operated in the decades following the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). The research which was conducted amongst principals in the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Australia, was focused by two research questions. These were:How do principals currently perceive the purpose of Catholic schools? How do they perceive Catholic schools changing? The review of the literature examined elements of the changing environment of the contemporary Catholic school. It also surveyed the ways in which that literature described the effects of changing social, ecclesial and educational contexts upon the sense of purpose amongst principals of Catholic schools. The demise of “inherited meanings” and the reconstruction or reimagining of a new meaning structure provided the conceptual template for the study. Since the study explores the perceptions of leaders concerning their schools in times of extensive and foundational contextual change, it involved an interpretive research design. An epistemological stance of constructionism was adopted because it acknowledges the impact which engagement with the research exerts upon participants’ construction of meaning. An interpretivist theoretical perspective served to structure the research in a manner that was congruent with the philosophical foundations of the research questions. The employment of the research orientation of symbolic interactionism was appropriate because it holds that meaning and interpretation of phenomena are to be understood by listening to the voices and perspectives of the participants within a given context. A case study approach was utilised in the execution of the research design which allowed for flexible, systematic and continuing data collection, analysis and participant feedback. Data were collected through the use of personal, open-ended questionnaire, semistructured interviews, critical review interviews, focus groups and independent review and were analysed using constant comparative method. The research led to the conclusion that in the contemporary Catholic school, a high priority is given to the offering of a holistic educational experience to students. This, in turn, is predicated upon an anthropology which adopts a more unitive rather than dualistic view of the human person. This represents a significant conceptual movement within the period under study. A greater emphasis is also placed upon the evangelising role the Catholic school, which, in turn, acknowledges the increasingly secular environment within which it operates. At the same time, there is a strong, expressed belief amongst its leaders that the contemporary Catholic school offers an experience of a redemptive community in which its members can find acceptance, inclusion and a sense of the spiritual dimension of life which transcends the status of affiliation with the institutional Church.

Twenty first century Lutheran secondary schools operate in a complex and demanding social, historical and theological environment. Leadership needs to be conceptualized in a manner which is appropriate for a fluid, dynamic learning community. Contemporary thinking about school leadership explores concepts such as teacher leadership, shared and distributed leadership. Successful school leadership is also perceived to impact positively on student educational outcomes. The leadership of the deputy principal in many school sectors has traditionally been structured on the basis of a bureaucratic, hierarchical model. Such models are increasingly perceived as unhelpful in the school context, yet in response, little has changed for deputy principals. The purpose of the current study was to consider the situation in Lutheran secondary schools. It explored the understandings about leadership embedded in the current role of the deputy principals. This was achieved by comparison of the participants’ perceptions with historical leadership narratives. The key finding of this research is that in Lutheran schools, the leadership role of the deputy is often not as fully developed as would be appropriate in the existing climate, where schools and principals are expected to provide ever expanding services and fulfil multiple purposes. In many schools, the leadership role of the deputy does not provide sufficient training for succession to the principalship. Deputy principals are seen to focus on activity which supports educational leadership, but leaves them on the fringe of it. Deputies are often not involved in major teaching and learning strategic planning, vision and change management. This hinders their preparation for a future role as principal, but also deprives the school of a potentially significant source of leadership activity. Deputy principals are seen to model the Christian ethos of the school through the way they interact with staff and students and their involvement in the devotional life of the school. However, in-depth involvement in ongoing dialogue about Lutheran identity and the church in the school is usually dependent on the interest and passion of the individual deputies, not inherently demanded by the role. There is also a limited understanding of servant leadership influencing the practice of deputy principals in the schools. In order to maximise the effectiveness of the leadership role of the deputy principals in Lutheran secondary schools, it would be timely to draw together key doctrinal statements, leadership theory and Luther’s reflections on vocation, into a cohesive and practical understanding of leadership. This could form the basis for further development of distributed leadership in Lutheran secondary schools and help to ensure that they continue to successfully meet the needs of their communities.

The review of the literature, which constitutes Part I of the Field Study, sees the changing role; of the principal as an evolutionary process, and traces this process from the early years of the nineteenth century (when schooling was private and independent) through the middle years of this same century and onwards (the growth of public education) up to modern times. The review studies in depth the literature of the past fifteen to twenty years, and avers that the literature of this period indicates that the expected role of the principal, today, is one of leadership. It discusses the behaviour characteristics of leadership and suggests that, depending upon the degree to which these characteristics are present in the leader's behaviour, various typical leaders may be described. Finally, the review postulates future trends in the role of principal and predicts also, the possible eventual demise of this administrative position. Part II of the Field Study contains the findings of a survey of the primary school principals of the Australian Capital Territory - both government and non-government. This survey, which involved the completion of a questionnaire consisting of three sections, was designed to provide information regarding the role - functions and work-load of the principal, his leadership characteristics, and his perceptions and predictions regarding change. From this information significant inferences are drawn concerning the role-perceptions and role-expectations of the primary principal in the A.C.T. Inferences drawn from the data of Section A of the questionnaire concern time; priorities of various role-functions, preferred approaches,to role-functions involving human relationships, the degree of acceptance of the implication of the policies of the A.C.T. Schools Authority, and attitudes towards professional development. The data of Section B provides information from which inferences regarding the leadership characteristics of the principals are drawn, and Section C data provides material lending support for the postulates of both the previous sections. The concluding section discusses the implications of these findings for the present and future roles of the principal in the A.C.T., and suggests possible areas for further research.

This study has resulted from the author's interest and participation in the activities of the A.C.T. Primary Principals' Association over the past six years. For the last three years of the twelve-year period covered by the study he was General Secretary of the Association, and thus had access to the minutes, reports and correspondence which had accumulated since the inception of the Association. Additional information has been obtained through discussions, reminiscences, letters and taperecordings from members and others who were actively involved in the activities of the Association. The History of the Association has been divided into four stages, corresponding to: 1. The inaugural period, under the direction of New South Wales. 2. The period of maximum growth. 3. The beginning of the independent A.C.T. Schools System. 4. The reorganisation of the Association. The main topics which were discussed within each period are analysed, together with the reactions of members to the circumstances which caused those topics to be emphasised, The analysis has shown that over the twelve-year period there has been: 1. A series of organisational changes in the structure of the Association as its membership has increased. 2. A significant trend away from the discussion of topics which could be classified as Managerial and towards subjects which could be regarded as Educational. 3. An increasing use of Guest Speakers at meetings and conferences. 4. A gradual change in the objectives of the Association and in the nature of the organisations to which it has related. 5. Only a very small percentage of members who have held Executive Office in the Association. The comments of individuals who have been involved with the Association over a period of years are used to assess its strengths and weaknesses, and suggestions are made regarding ways in which the structure of the organisation might possibly be improved. An examination has been made of the Association as a model-type, and throughout the study there is discussion as to how its performance equates with the findings of current literature on Organisational Theory. A recommendation is made that a review of the stated aims of the Association be undertaken, and that a Constitution be developed.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2007. / Title from title screen (site viewed Dec. 5, 2007). PDF text: 151 p. ; 7 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3275078. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1983. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 89-96). Also available in print.