Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine. (1) the perceptions of teachers and principals in middle school settings regarding the level of impact of principal actions/activities on teacher performance; (2) if there is a significant difference between the perceptions of principals and teachers; (3) whether teacher or principal perceptions are effected by their gender; (4) whether teacher perception are effected by years of teaching experience. Methodology. The study utilized the descriptive approach. The population was defined as principals and teachers serving in Orange County middle schools. The random sampling method was employed to survey the sample of 360 = teachers and 60 principals. Dr. Robert Carter's "Impact of Principal Actions/Activities on the Classroom Teacher" survey (IPACT) was the instrument utilized in this study. Two form of this survey, one for principals and one for teachers, were used to gather data regarding the perceptions of the twenty-four behaviors. Three parametrical procedures were used to analyze the data pertaining to the six research questions, the t-test, the Analysis of Variance, and the Scheffé's test. Findings. The following major findings emerged from this research: (1) Principals and teachers did indeed perceive the twenty-four primcipal actions/activities as having varying degrees of impact upon teacher classroom success. (2) The data reflected there was no significant difference in the perceptions of middle school principals or teachers, based on gender. (3) The data reflected there were significant differences in the perceptions between the four teachers experience groups. (4) Years of experience influenced the way that teachers perceived the impact of selected principal actions/activities. The mean scores of the less experienced groups were consistently higher than groups with more experience. (5) Teacher and principal responses were significantly different regarding the impact of selected principal actions/activities on nine of the twenty-four items. Both teachers and principals ranked items in similar descending order although teachers scored the items lower than the principal group. Conclusions and recommendations. The data reflected both teacher and principals acknowledged that actions/activities of middle school principals do effect classroom teacher success. The actions and activities perceived most positively by both teacher and principal groups were support activities directly related to enhancing teacher/principal interactions, and maintaining the instructional environment. Years of teaching experience influenced the way middle school teachers perceived principal behaviors. The groups of teachers with the highest amount of experience (7–9 years, and 10 + years), tended to rate principal actions/activities lower than their less experienced counterparts. It is recommended that district administrators, principal training organizations and professional development institutes, provide information to middle school principals the impact of their actions/activities on classroom teachers' success. Having this information, new and experienced principals alike will be better prepared and therefore better able to supervise, guide and impact teacher success.