John McCormick

Self-Efficacy and Music Performance.

This study is the second in a series of investigations attempting to clarify relationships between variables that impact on a young musicians ability to perform music (as assessed on a graded music examination). Consistent with studies on school academic subjects, our previous investigation demonstrated the importance of self-efficacy in predicting young musicians’ performance examination results. In the current study, structural equation modelling allowed us to compare two different types of graded music performance examinations. Although differences emerged between the two sets of data, self-efficacy was again found to be the most important predictor of achievement in the examinations. Implications arising from this finding are discussed in the final section of the article.

The Role of Self-Efficacy in a Musical Performance Examination: An Exploratory Structural Equation Analysis

The study reported here investigated cognitive mediational processes in the context of a music performance examination. The prime purpose was to focus on an aspect of musical learning - graded music examinations - that has hitherto received little research attention. The sample consisted of 332 instrumentalists who were completing Trinity College, London, graded, externally assessed performance examinations. Analysis of survey data was carried out using structural equation modelling. The analysis suggested that, in motivational terms, and consistent with research carried out in other academic contexts, self-efficacy was the best predictor of actual performance. The authors conclude that whilst practice plays a vital part in the development of a musician’s capacity to perform well, it should not be considered in isolation from motivational and related variables.

Leadership and Individual Principal-Teacher Relationships in Schools

Transformational approaches to leadership have increasingly been advocated for schools. Research evidence suggests that the effect of leadership on student learning outcomes is mediated by school conditions such as goals, structure, people, and school culture. Using the combined approach of multilevel analysis and structural modeling, this study investigated the relationships of leadership with school learning culture. Data were collected from a random sample of 373 teachers. The results suggested relationships between leadership and school learning culture did exist, and they highlight the importance of individual principal-teacher relationships in schools.

Transformational leadership in schools – Panacea, placebo or problem?

Describes a study, which investigated the relationship between the transformational and transactional leadership behaviours of school principals in selected New South Wales state secondary schools with some teacher outcomes and aspects of school learning culture. Analysis suggested that there were two factors which were transformational, two factors which were transactional and one teacher outcome factor. Five school learning culture factors were identified. Furthermore, the transformational leadership behaviour (individual concern) was associated with the teacher outcomes – satisfaction, extra effort and perception of leader effectiveness. Contrary to what might be expected, transformational leadership behaviour (vision/inspiration) had a significant negative association with student learning culture. Significant interactions suggested that this relationship may be more complex than might be expected.

Vision, relationships and teacher motivation: a case study

School leaders continue to be urged to have vision. Some argue that effective schools have principals who create and communicate a vision for the school. However, although there is literature on visionary leadership, relatively little is empirical. The purpose of the study was to investigate transformational leadership behaviour and vision in schools. Four schools, in which the transformational leadership practices of principals were perceived by teachers to be characterised by individual concern and vision, were identified. A qualitative approach using semi‐structured interviews was used to collect data. Content analysis identified patterns and themes in the data from which propositions and conclusions were drawn. Within the context of the study, the results suggest that the influence of vision may be overestimated and the most critical leadership transformational behaviour is individual concern. The main conclusion of the study is that leadership in schools is mainly characterised by relationships with individuals, and it is through these relationships a leader is able to establish her/his leadership and encourage teachers to apply their expertise, abilities, and efforts towards shared purposes.

Occupational stress of teachers: biographical differences in a large school system

Presents the results of an analysis of questionnaire and interview data revealing significant differences in occupational stress between groups of public school teachers, in New South Wales, Australia. In particular, emphasizes the importance of differentiating between executive and classroom teachers, primary/infants and secondary teachers, teachers at different career stages and teachers in geographical locations, when planning to alleviate stress in the future. The fact that primary/infants teachers reported greater stress attributable to student misbehaviour than secondary teachers reinforces the need to distinguish between the perceived “objective strength” of a stressor and the degree of distress felt by a teacher.

Organizational Communication and Job Satisfaction in Australian Catholic Primary Schools

Job satisfaction has been associated with a variety of behaviours relating to communication. However, very little research has been conducted in primary schools encompassing job satisfaction and a range of communication variables. This study investigated the relationships between aspects of organizational communication and facets of job satisfaction. The participants were 356 staff members from 52 primary schools of six Catholic education systems in New South Wales, Australia. The participants completed a survey consisting of the Organizational Communication in Primary Schools Questionnaire and the Teacher Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (TJSQ). Ten organizational communication factors and nine job satisfaction factors were identified. Multiple regression analyses identified several organizational communication factors that were predictors of job satisfaction. The results suggest implications for policy and practice with regard to communication in these schools.

A cross‐cultural analysis of the effectiveness of the Learning Organization model in school contexts

It has been argued that some management theories and models may not be universal and are based on some cultural assumptions. It is argued in this paper that the effectiveness of applying the Learning Organization (LO) model in school contexts across different countries may be associated with cultural differences such as individualism, collectivism, power distance, and future orientation. The implementation of elements of the LO model such as systems thinking, managing mental models, team learning, and developing shared visions, may face some difficulties in some cultures. This paper develops some theoretical propositions for further empirical investigations.

Vision and leadership of principals in Hong Kong

Describes a study which investigated the relationship between the vision and five dimensions of leadership behaviour of principals in Hong Kong. A survey was carried out on 48 secondary schools involving 548 teachers. Half of the sample schools were in a pilot scheme of school‐based management, the school management initiative (SMI). Factor analysis and multiple regression were used to analyse the data. The results suggested that five dimensions of leadership behaviour were all significantly related to the vision of principals for both types of schools. Whether the school was participating in the SMI or not also had a significant effect on the relationship between the vision of principals and three dimensions of leadership behaviour. Contrary to the expectations of the SMI and the suggestions by some researchers that teachers need to be particularly empowered in schools undergoing reforms, the findings of this study demonstrated that for principals with average and below average scores on vision, the degree of empowerment perceived by teachers in schools under the SMI was lower than for schools not under the reform. However, principals with high vision in schools under the reform had the highest scores in all five dimensions of leadership behaviour. The SMI may provide opportunities for leaders with vision to bring about a better environment for school improvement. These results provide important insights for those responsible for the implementation and evaluation of the SMI in Hong Kong, and perhaps for other systems devolving decision‐making power to more self‐managing schools.

An attribution model of teachers' occupational stress and job satisfaction in a large educational system

Abstract A cognitive model based on the attribution of responsibility for stress was used as a framework for a study of the occupational stress and job satisfaction of teachers in New South Wales, Australia. One thousand questionnaires were distributed among 109 New South Wales Department of School Education schools of various types: single teacher, infants/primary, central and high school, throughout the state. There was a total response rate of approximately 49% (n = 487). The proposition that externalization of responsibility for stress may be explained in terms of self-defence styles was also investigated. Stress attributable to student misbehaviour was found to be associated with immature defence styles. Occupational stress and job satisfaction were treated as multidimensional phenomena and associations between the dimensions were explored. Teachers satisfied with their occupation attributed greater responsibility for stress to self than did dissatisfied teachers.