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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/178310 |
| Date | 03 June 2011 |
| Creators | McKaig, Thomas E. |
| Contributors | Patton, Don C. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | x, 172 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us-in |
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