The Problem. Can personality characteristics be identified that distinguish the open school principal from the non-open school principal? The Purpose. To develop a profile of open and non-open school principals as measured by the Sixteen Personality Factor (16 PF) and the Characteristics of Principal Effectiveness Questionnaire (COPE), a researcher-developed instrument. The Procedure. Open and non-open schools in several large school districts were identified. The degree of school openness was verified by teacher responses to the Walberg-Thomas Teacher Rating Scale. School Principals responded to the Sixteen Personality Factor (16 PF) and the Characteristics of Principal Effectiveness Questionnaire (COPE). Null Hypotheses: (1) There is no difference between open schools and non-open schools as measured by the Walberg-Thomas Teacher Questionnaire; (2) there is no difference between open and non-open principals in scores on the Characteristics of Principal Effectiveness Questionnaire; (3) there is no difference between open and non-open principals in scale scores on the 16 PF; (4) there is no difference or interaction between open and non-open schools and principals with high and low scores on the COPE in scale scores on the 16 PF. Conclusions. Null hypothesis 1 rejected: School openness can be measured by the Walberg-Thomas, and open schools differ significantly from non-open. Null hypothesis 2 retained: There were not significant differences in principal response to the COPE. Null hypothesis 3 rejected: Principals of open schools differed significantly from principals of non-open schools on three factors. Open school principals were more venturesome, impulsive, and self-assured than non-open school principals. Null hypothesis 4 rejected: There were differences between open and non-open principals in personality factors when considered with their views on goal setting and achievement, task achievement, and job satisfaction. Interaction significance was obtained when organizational energy and job compatibility were considered. Recommendations. (1) Individual personalities and views of characteristics of effectiveness be considered when placing principals in open or non-open schools; (2) Replication of the study with a larger sample; (3) replication of the study with schools more greatly polarized on the open and non-open continuum.

This study explored the relationship between specific instructional leadership behaviors of elementary principals and student achievement as measured by the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). One hundred twenty-five principals were systematically and proportionally selected from Arizona, lowa, and Virginia. Seventy-two percent of the principals met all criteria and agreed to participate. The Measure of Elementary Principal Instructional Leadership Behavior, MEPILB, was developed for eight teachers at each school (total of 576) to indicate those instructional leadership behaviors demonstrated by their principals. Other data collected and analyzed were fourth grade ITBS mean normal curve equivalent, NCE, scores for two years, 1987-88 and 1989-90; percentage of students on free- and reduced-price meals as a proxy measure of socioeconomic status (SES); percentage of Parent-Teacher Association or organization membership as measure of parental involvement; district per pupil expenditures; and several school and principal demographic information. A principal components analysis with varimax rotation was performed on the MEPILB results to determine underlying instructional leadership dimensions. Four factors were revealed with two of those significantly associated with student achievement: monitoring instruction and testing (p < .05), and providing instructional feedback (p < .10). When these variables were added in the full regression model with SES, no significance was found between the two instructional leadership factors and student achievement. SES contributed the largest amount of explained variance to student achievement. The results of this study identified specific instructional leadership behaviors of elementary principals, but these behaviors were not found to significantly contribute to the variance in student achievement. / Ed. D.

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Learner violence is and has been a thorny silent issue among learners and teachers as well as part of daily schooling in South African schools before and after the advent of democracy. This epidemic is not only unique in South African schools but the world over including developing and countries where it does not receive necessary attention from both parents of the victims and perpetrators, authorities and with no coverage from the media. The South African government through The Bill of Rights in The Constitution Act 104 of 1996 together with the Department of Education (DoE) through legislation such as South African Schools Act (SASA) 84 of 1996 made provision through School Governing Bodies (SGB) and school managers of ensuring that violence in schools should be managed and be eradicated by means of formulating sound policies with appropriate measures to discipline whoever is found in transgression of good behaviour. However, irrespective of endeavours by authorities to curb these problems, we are still witnessing the serious incidents where learners are committing forms of violence against other learners . This motivated the researcher to explore the experiences and strategies of school principals, in particular public school principals with regard to how they manage learner violence in their schools. In addition, it was of importance to determine the contribution of stakeholders such as parents towards the management of violence in the school as regulated by SASA and what are the impact of violence on learners themselves as observed by principals. The aim was to research incidents of violence in schools, and what are the principals’ experiences and strategies of managing learner violence. A qualitative research method study was used through a semi-structured interview to get in-depth experience and knowledge from identified participants.

by Chow Hung Wai. / Added t.p. in Chinese. / Includes questionaire in Chinese. / Thesis (M.A.Ed.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-141). / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.i / ACKNOWLEDGMENTS --- p.iv / ABSTRACT --- p.v / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vii / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.ix / Chapter CHAPTER I --- INTRODUCTION / Chapter 1.1 --- Background --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Purpose of the Study --- p.8 / Chapter 1.3 --- Significance of the Study --- p.9 / Chapter CHAPTER II --- LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK / Chapter 2.1 --- Concept of Leadership --- p.13 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Definition of Leadership --- p.13 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Overview of Major Approaches to Leadership --- p.16 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Antecedents to and Outcomes of Leadership --- p.38 / Chapter 2.2 --- Concept of Teachers' Self Concept --- p.41 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Development of Self concept Studies --- p.41 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Definition and Formation of Self Concept --- p.44 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Structure and Content of Self Concept --- p.46 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- Outcomes of Teachers' Self Concept --- p.57 / Chapter 2.3 --- Conception of the Study --- p.59 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Principals' Leadership --- p.59 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Teachers' Self Concept --- p.60 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Principals' Leadership and Teachers' Self Concept --- p.61 / Chapter CHAPTER III --- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY / Chapter 3.1 --- Definitions --- p.67 / Chapter 3.2 --- Hypothesis of the Study --- p.69 / Chapter 3.3 --- Nature of the Study --- p.70 / Chapter 3.4 --- Unit of Analysis --- p.70 / Chapter 3.5 --- Instruments --- p.70 / Chapter 3.6 --- Sampling Design --- p.75 / Chapter 3.7 --- Analysis Design --- p.77 / Chapter 3.8 --- Limitations --- p.78 / Chapter CHAPTER IV --- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION / Chapter 4.1 --- "General Information of the Principals, Schools and Teachers" --- p.81 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- General Information of the Principals and the Schools --- p.81 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- General Information of the Teachers --- p.84 / Chapter 4.2 --- Preliminary Analysis --- p.87 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Means and Standard Deviations of Teachers' Self Concept Measures --- p.87 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Means and Standard Deviations of Principals' Transformational Leadership Measures --- p.88 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Correlation between Variables of Teachers' Self Concept --- p.89 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Correlation between Variables of Principals' Transformational Leadership --- p.93 / Chapter 4.2.5 --- Teachers' Demographic Characteristics and Self Concept --- p.95 / Chapter 4.2.6 --- "Principals' Demographic Characteristics, School Contextual Variables and Transformational Leadership" --- p.100 / Chapter 4.3 --- Main Analysis --- p.105 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Correlation between Principals' Transformational Leadership Measures and Teachers' Self Concept Measures --- p.105 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Relationship of Teachers' Self Concept to Teachers' Demographic Characteristics and Principals' Transformational Leadership --- p.108 / Chapter CHAPTER V --- CONCLUSIONS IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS / Chapter 5.1 --- Conclusions --- p.113 / Chapter 5.2 --- Implications --- p.116 / Chapter 5.3 --- Recommendations --- p.118 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.122 / APPENDIX A Summary of Cronbach Alpha and Validity for the Instruments --- p.142 / APPENDIX B Instrument used in the Main Study --- p.143