Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify the strategies used by middle school principals in San Bernardino County to empower vice-principals and the extent to which vice-principals perceive themselves as empowered by those strategies. This study determined if there was a significant difference between the principals' perception of their use of empowering strategies and the vice-principals' perception of their opportunity to be involved with these strategies. An additional purpose was to determine to what extent a relationship exists between the vice-principal's perception of empowerment and the principal's perception of the vice-principal's effectiveness. Methodolgy. Two questionnaires were used to collect data to answer four research questions. For each item on the questionnaires, percentages, means, and standard deviation scores were determined. In addition, the parametric t-test for dependent samples was used to determine the presence of significant difference and correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the extent of relationship among various factors in the study. Findings and conclusions. The activities reportedly used most often by principals grant vice-principals discretion in doing their work. Responding principals perceived themselves as frequently using most of the Harvey and Drolet (1994) empowering strategies. The strategies and activities used most frequently by principals encourage completion of daily tasks and promote problem solving. The strategies and activities reportedly least used by principals appear to involve providing praise, recognition, incentives, or the resource of money. Vice-principals believe they have the opportunity to be involved in most empowering strategies to a moderately positive degree and they appear to be satisfied with their level of opportunity for involvement to a moderately positive degree. However, principals and vice-principals view the principals' empowerment efforts differently. In addition, there is not a relationship overall between the vice-principals' perceived level of empowerment and the principals' perception of the vice-principals' effectiveness. Recommendations. Vice-principals must share the increasing obligations of site administration and school reform. Principals need to increase their vice-principals' opportunity to participate in empowering activities. Principals should vary the empowering activities offered to their vice-principals. Vice-principals should be used to help empower teachers, promote reform, and implement change at school sites.