The study was designed to determine the extent to which selected Indiana superintendents of schools tie work as central life interest and to compare leadership behaviors of superintendents identified as having high interest in work and superintendents with low work interest, as perceived by subordinate administrators. Ninety-five of the 116 superintendents invited to participate in the study completed the Central Life Interest Inventory developed by Dubin. Analyses of responses resulted in identification of the intensity to which superintendents viewed work as a central life interest. Subordinate administrators identified by the twenty-five superintendents identified as having high commitment to work and subordinate administrators identified by the twenty-five superintendents identified as having low interest in work were invited to evaluate respective superintendents by means of the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire- - Form XII.Twelve null hypotheses were developed to facilitate determination of statistically significant differences between subordinate administrator evaluative response of superintendents having high interest in work and superintendents having low interest in work. Statistical treatment of the twelve hypotheses was accomplished by means of the chi-square test of significance. The .05 level of confidence was established as the critical probability level for the non-acceptance of hypotheses.Findings relative to the first study purpose, which was to measure the extent to which selected Indiana superintendents view work as central life interest, were:1. Thirty-two, or 33.6 percent, of the ninety-five participating superintendents had a high interest in work as a central life interest.2. Eighteen earlier studies had measured the extent to which persons in various occupations viewed work as a central life interest. When superintendents were compared and contrasted, nine occupational groups reflected higher interest in work as a central life interest and nine groups reflected lower interest in work as a central life interest. Superintendents had a higher interest in work as a central life interest than lumber workers, truck drivers, American factory workers, secondary teachers, elementary teachers, principals, industrial arts teachers, clerical workers, and British factory workers. Superintendents had a lower interest in work as a central life interest than management personnel in Japanese industry, cooperative extension agents, nurses, Amana Colony workers, management personnel in American industry, middle managers in Oregon, middle managers in seven states, industrial supervisors, and German industrial workers.Findings relative to the second study purpose, a comparison of the leadership behaviors of the high and low superintendent groups as measured by perceptions of subordinate administrators using the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire--Form XII instrument, were no statistically significant differences were found to exist for the three specific leadership behaviors factors of Representation, Demand Reconciliation, and Initiation of Structures. Statistically significant differences were found to exist for each of the nine specific leadership factors of Tolerance of Uncertainty, Persuasiveness, Tolerance of Freedom, Role Assumption, Consideration, Production Emphasis, Predictive Accuracy, Integration, and Superior Orientation.The major conclusion relative to the first study purpose was that even though relatively small percentages of superintendents might score as having high commitment to work as a central life interest, superintendents as a group do have high professional standards and are committed to performing job responsibilities effectively and efficiently. The major conclusion relative to the second study purpose as that superintendents with a high commitment to work as a central lire interest, are perceived by subordinates as being more effective leaders.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/175799 |
| Date | January 1981 |
| Creators | De Bauche, Gary J. |
| Contributors | Strom, Merle T. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | 5, vii, 127 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us-in |
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