<p>The aim of this study is to describe what teachers and principals experience in schools regarding threats, violence and harassment towards teachers. A phenomenographical inspired approach has been used to describe and analyse the conceptions of five teachers and five principals. The findings of the study indicate that there is no impending risk for teachers to suffer from violence, threats or harassment. However, it does occasionally happen, and the findings of the study indicate that there are some factors that increase the risk. The major three factors are: fear, personality and inexperience. The conceptions also indicate that media can have a negative effect concerning violence in schools.</p><p> In order to prevent violence in schools, the findings of the study suggest three preventive measures: active relationship building, increased information, as well as increased authority for teachers. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of support where teachers have been violated. This support is required from principals and supporting authorities, and it is important that school violence is reported to the police to discourage the threat of future violent conduct in schools. The findings of our study indicate that the school of education needs to be reorganised, and new methods developed, in order to prepare teachers for their coming profession.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2005. / Title from title page screen, viewed on April 12, 2007. Dissertation Committee: Linda Lyman (chair), Patricia H. Klass, W. Paul Vogt, Carol Struck. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-168) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Graduate School of Education, Oral Roberts University, 2006. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-157).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2006. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Carolyn Riehl; submitted to the School of Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 153-162).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed on Mar. 13, 2007). PDF text: 115 p. : col. ill. UMI publication number: AAT 3225886. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche format.

The aim of this study is to describe what teachers and principals experience in schools regarding threats, violence and harassment towards teachers. A phenomenographical inspired approach has been used to describe and analyse the conceptions of five teachers and five principals. The findings of the study indicate that there is no impending risk for teachers to suffer from violence, threats or harassment. However, it does occasionally happen, and the findings of the study indicate that there are some factors that increase the risk. The major three factors are: fear, personality and inexperience. The conceptions also indicate that media can have a negative effect concerning violence in schools. In order to prevent violence in schools, the findings of the study suggest three preventive measures: active relationship building, increased information, as well as increased authority for teachers. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of support where teachers have been violated. This support is required from principals and supporting authorities, and it is important that school violence is reported to the police to discourage the threat of future violent conduct in schools. The findings of our study indicate that the school of education needs to be reorganised, and new methods developed, in order to prepare teachers for their coming profession.

The study was designed to (1) identify perceptions of teachers about actual and desired level of need fulfillment; (2) identify deficiency of need fulfillment of teachers; (3) examine the leader behavior of principals as perceived by teachers; and (4) investigate the relationship between teacher perceptions of principal leader behavior and teacher perceptions of deficiencies in need fulfillment.Two questionnaires were used in the study. The Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire--Form XII was utilized to obtain teacher perceptions of principal leader behavior. Four of the twelve subscales of the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire--Form XII were used: Tolerance of Uncertainty, Tolerance of Freedom, Consideration, and Initiating Structure. Teacher perceptions of actual and desired level of need fulfillment were obtained by use of a questionnaire developed by Porter for industrial research and adapted by Sergiovanni for use in schools. The difference between desired level of need fulfillment and actual level of need fulfillment provided a score for deficiency of need fulfillment. Statements on the questionnaire assessing need levels were grouped according to an adaption of the Maslow Hierarchy. Need categories represented on the questionnaire were: Security, Social, Esteem, Autonomy, and SelfActualization.The population of teachers for the study was middle/junior high teachers in schools in East Central Indiana with enrollments between 150 and 500 students per grade. A random sample of twenty schools was obtained for use in the study. Teachers in the selected schools completed both questionnaires. Twelve questionnaires were randomly selected from the group of returned questionnaires from each school. Only nineteen schools were represented in the final sample because fewer than twelve questionnaires were returned by the teachers of one school.Twenty null hypotheses were generated for the study. Each hypothesis was concerned with the relationship between a leader behavior and the deficiency of need fulfillment of a need category. Hypotheses were tested statistically by use of Pearson Product-Moment Correlations. Decisions about significance were made at the .05 level.Among the teachers in the sample, Social needs were most satisfied. Security needs were next in order of satisfaction. Esteem needs were least satisfied. Autonomy and Self -Actualization needs were found to be rated closer to the low satisfaction level given Esteem needs than to the rating given Security needs.The range of mean scores of actual need fulfillment was greater than the range of mean scores for desired need fulfillment. Greater agreement existed among teachers in the sample about desired level of need fulfillment than the level of actual need fulfillment.Correlations significant beyond the .05 level were found between teacher perceptions of principal leader behavior in each of four areas --Consideration, Tolerance of Freedom, Tolerance of Uncertainty, and Initiation of Structure--and teacher satisfaction in each of four need categories--Security, Esteem, Autonomy, and Self-Actualization. No significant correlation was found between teacher satisfaction of Social needs and teacher perceptions of principal leader behavior.The set of principal leader behaviors was found to be predictive of teacher satisfaction of Security, Esteem, Autonomy, and Self-Actualization needs. Including Tolerance of Freedom in the predictive equation resulted in a statistically significant increase in the multiple R between the set of principal leader behaviors and teacher satisfaction of Security and Autonomy needs. Including Consideration in the predictive equation resulted in a statistically significant increase in the multiple R between the set of principal leader behaviors and teacher satisfaction of Esteem needs. The person-oriented principal exhibiting behaviors perceived by teachers as Considerate and Tolerant of Freedom may be most effective in bringing about teacher satisfaction of higher order needs and thus creating a high level of staff motivation.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between Principals¡¦ Leadership Behavior and teachers¡¦ organizational citizenship behavior in Pingtung junior high schools. Teachers¡¦ background variables and school environment variables were also analyzed to interpret the teachers' awareness of their principals¡¦ leadership behavior and their own organizational citizenship behavior. The researcher used ¡§Questionnaire of Junior High School Principals¡¦ Leadership Behavior¡¨ and ¡§Teachers¡¦ Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scales¡¨ to survey 402 teachers within 35 junior high schools in Pingtung County. The study adopted mean, standard deviation, t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson cross-product correlation, and stepwise multiple regression to answer the research questions. The findings of this study are as follows¡G 1. The principals¡¦ leadership behaviors perceived by the junior high school teachers are above average,and initiating behavior is higher than consideration behavior in pingtung county. 2. Junior high school teachers of different ¡§marital status¡¨,¡¨ years of service¡¨,¡¨ positions¡¨, ¡§school size¡¨ and ¡§school location¡¨ shows significant difference in their perception of principals¡¦ leadership behavior in pingtung county. 3. Teachers¡¦ organizational citizenship behavior of junior high school teachers in Pingtung county are above average, and the¡¨ sportsmanship¡¨ get the highest score. 4 .Junior high school teachers of different ¡§marital status¡¨ , ¡§years of service¡¨, ¡§educational degree ¡§,¡§positions¡¨,¡¨ school scale¡¨ and ¡§school location¡¨ have shows significant difference in the performance of organizational citizenship behavior. in Pingtung county. 5. Junior high school Teachers perceived their principals¡¦ different leadership styles shows significant difference in teachers¡¦ organizational citizenship behavior in Pingtung County. 6. Junior high school principals¡¦ leadership behavior is positively related to teachers¡¦ organizational citizenship behavior in Pingtung County. 7. Junior high school principals¡¦ leadership behavior and school location can predict teachers¡¦ organizational citizenship behavior in Pingtung County. Keywords: Principals¡¦ Leadership Behavior, Teachers¡¦ Organizational Citizenship Behavior

The increasing population diversity in the United States and in public schools signifies a need for principals to promote diversity awareness as mandated by principal standards. A means to quantify and measure the principals’ diversity intentions empirically is required. This study researched the possibility that the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) could provide a theoretical basis for an operation measurement model. The instrument for the study was an electronic survey administered via e-mail to a random sample of 151 principals. This instrument incorporated the Professional Beliefs About Diversity Scale (Pohan & Aguilar, 2001) with the operationalized General Principal’s Diversity Model and the Professional Diversity Intentions sub-models. Three research questions guided the study: 1) Can a theory of planned behavior approach be used to assess school principals’ professional intentions to promote diversity awareness? 2) What are the intentions of Texas principals to promote diversity awareness in general and among the five diversity dimensions of disabilities, gender, language, racial/ethnic, and social class in their campus community? and 3) Do these intentions differ among five demographic characteristics of race/ethnicity, gender, age, degree, and campus type? Findings of the study were: 1. The results of this study provided the scientific validation that the TPB approach can be used to assess public school principals’ professional intentions to promote diversity awareness. 2. At present, Texas principals’ intentions are only slightly more positive than the neutral midpoint, a 3.38 average score out of a possible 5.00 regarding intention to promote diversity awareness. Frequency analysis of the submodels indicated positive intentions for Gender (58 cases or 38.41 percent); Race/Ethnicity (78 cases or 51.66 percent); Social Class (79 cases or 52.32 percent); and Disabilities and Language each had 89 cases (58.95 percent). 3. Principals’ intent to implement diversity decreases with age and higher academic degree held. 4. Hispanic principals are more likely than African American or White principals to promote diversity awareness. This study concluded that a Theory of Planned Behavior approach as operationalized in this study may be used to assess school principals’ professional intentions to promote diversity beyond the level recommended by their district.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of West Florida, 2007. / Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 136 pages. Includes bibliographical references.