Abstract
This study was undertaken to test the relationship between elementary school principal leadership behavior and teacher job satisfaction within the framework of the path-goal theory of leadership. Prior research on the path-goal theory has been conducted primarily in an industrial or manufacturing setting. This study was done in an educational setting to determine the applicability of the path-goal theory for predicting leader behavior/teacher job satisfaction. The measuring instruments and rating scale used were as follows: (1) The Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire XII (LBDQ XII). This questionnaire measures leadership behavior in two ways: (a) structure--which consists of items that delineate organization, rules, and procedures; (b) consideration behavior--which examines leader behavior that is identified by friendliness, mutual trust, respect, and warmth. (2) The Job Description Index (JDI) used to measure intrinsic, extrinsic, and general job satisfaction. (3) A Likert type rating scale to determine leader effectiveness. The scale was numbered 1 to 5; 1 indicated least effective; and 5, most effective. The data were treated with a chi-square on 2 x 2 contingency tables. The purpose of the chi-square tests was to show the degree to which teacher job satisfaction was related to the behavior of principals who followed the path-goal theory of leadership. The measuring instruments were administered in spring on a one-time basis. Based upon the test results of 381 randomly-selected elementary school principals and teachers, the path-goal theory of leadership received mixed statistical support. The results showed that teachers who perceived principals as structural leaders reported a higher level of job satisfaction than was true of those teachers who saw their principals as contingency or consideration leaders. Intrinsic work satisfaction was enhanced under all three types of leadership; conversely, extrinsic work satisfaction was not attained under any of the three leadership behaviors. This latter finding was at least partly due to the fact that principals have no control over pay and promotions for their teachers. In this study, structure leadership provided the strongest support for the path-goal theory. Based upon teacher reports, elementary school principals might consider practicing this type of leadership so that their teachers will experience a higher level of job satisfaction. . . . (Author's abstract exceeds stipulated maximum length. Discontinued here with permission of author.) UMI.