<p> Many professionals became childcare directors with little or no experience, training, supervision skills, or knowledge that supported teachers. Without those necessary skills that assisted childcare directors in providing a supportive environment, there was a greater chance for teachers to leave their positions, affecting the quality of care provided. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore perceptions childcare directors had regarding the effectiveness of transformational leadership skills taught in Strengths-Based Coaching<sup> ®</sup> training as well as identify the challenges they faced integrating the transformational leadership skills within their center. There were three sources of data collected in the study: (1) individual interviews with 12 directors; (2) focus groups with 22 teachers who worked with the 12 directors since 2008; and (3) focus groups of eight Professional Development Specialists that consulted or coached the directors at their centers since 2008. Prior to implementing the study, a pilot study was conducted. Although 33 directors were initially identified, the final population for the pilot study was 27 directors; however, only three directors from Kansas City, Missouri, and one from St. Louis, Missouri agreed to participate. Interview questions were adjusted for clarity after the completion of the pilot study. Answers to the research questions were obtained by triangulating data gathered during interviews and focus groups. Findings showed transformational leadership skills taught in Strengths-Based Coaching<sup>®</sup> were effective due to better relationships and communication between staff and directors. Results indicated lack of time to practice and needing additional employees were issues that hindered directors from implementing leadership skills learned in Strengths-Based Coaching<sup>®</sup> to its fullest potential. Recommendations for educational practice included: Strengths-Based Coaching<sup>®</sup> training be expanded to other directors, offer a refresher course, provide additional resources, such as a coach, newsletter with coaching tips, and quarterly meetings for directors. Recommendations for further research included: gather additional qualitative data to measure support provided by directors, extend the population and conduct a cross-comparison analysis, collect quantitative data at different increments after the training, and conduct a longitudinal study to determine the effectiveness of transformational leadership on the organizational climate within childcare centers.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3626330 |
| Date | 30 August 2014 |
| Creators | Curtis, Rebecca R. |
| Publisher | Northcentral University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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