Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine if a significant difference existed in the leadership practices of principals from distinguished and nondistinguished middle schools in Ventura County, as perceived by their teachers, in relation to the demographic variables of teacher gender, years of experience, years with the principal, and grade level taught. Methodology. This was a quantitative, descriptive study. The population included the teachers and principals from five distinguished middle schools along with five randomly selected nondistinguished schools. The Kouzes and Posner Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) was the instrument of choice. Three nonparametric statistical procedures were used to analyze the data--the Mann-Whitney U Test of Probability, the Kruskall-Wallis Test, and the Post Hoc Multiple Comparison z Test. Findings. The following major findings emerged from this research: (1) Teachers from distinguished schools gave their principals significantly higher ratings on the LPI than those from nondistinguished schools; (2) the two moderator variables, teacher gender and teaching experience, had no significant effect on the teacher's ratings; (3) teachers at distinguished schools with one to two years with the principal rated the "challenge the process" practice higher than those with three or more years; (4) teachers from nondistinguished schools with one to two years with their principal, rated all five leadership practices higher than those with three or more years; and (5) sixth grade teachers at distinguished schools rated the principal on the "encourage the heart" practice significantly higher than eighth grade teachers. Conclusions. It is evident from the findings in this study that there are qualitative differences between the leadership practices of principals from distinguished middle schools that can be substantiated by quantitative measurements. It is also apparent that the moderator variables, "years with the principal" and "grade level taught," can be significant factors effecting teacher's perceptions of their principal's leadership practices.