Kerry Barnett

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.

The Important Role of Optimism in a Motivational Investigation of the Education of Gifted Adolescents

Intellectually gifted 7th-grade students were surveyed approximately halfway through their 1st year of high school in order to investigate relationships between motivational and affective variables, commitment to schoolwork, and satisfaction with school. The results of the confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling suggest that relationships of mediating variables such as optimism, strain on coping resources, extrinsic motivation, and intrinsic motivation with satisfaction with school and commitment to schoolwork should be considered in the context of the motivational needs of gifted students.

Leadership and team dynamics in senior executive leadership teams

As secondary school environments become increasingly complex, shifts are occurring in the way leadership is being practised. New leadership practices emphasize shared or distributed leadership. A senior executive leadership team with responsibility for school leadership is likely to be one of the many, varied forms of new leadership practices adopted in secondary schools. However, research has shown that many teams do not reach their potential and many more fail. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the processes that underlie senior executive leadership team performance and effectiveness. A multi-case study design was used. Three randomly selected senior executive leadership teams from government secondary schools within the Sydney metropolitan area, in New South Wales, Australia participated. Data were obtained from individual, digitally recorded face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The findings from this exploratory study suggest that complex environmental events necessitated a shift from single leader to team centred leadership in these three schools. Principals in the study played a critical role, fulfilling the role of team leader, and applying leadership functions flexibly to enable team development, management and effectiveness. Further, the results provide insights into the innate complexity of leadership conducted synchronously by a collective.

Levels of Intellectual Giftedness, Culture, and the Forced-Choice Dilemma.

This study investigated whether intellectually gifted students in Australia, with different levels of giftedness and cultural orientations, had different experiences of the forced-choice dilemma—choosing between the needs for peer acceptance and academic achievement. A random sample of 231 intellectually gifted students attending secondary school completed and returned a self-report questionnaire. The data were analyzed using factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. The study found some support for the hypothesis that level of intellectual giftedness was positively related to the experience of the forced-choice dilemma. It was also shown that those with medium-level vertical allocentric orientations toward the family were likely to be the most vulnerable to the phenomenon. Intellectually gifted male adolescents, intellectually gifted students in early adolescence, and intellectually gifted students with peers of different cultural backgrounds were additional groups identified as being at risk.

Exploring the Relationship Between Principal, Policy, and Gifted Program Scope and Quality

An exploratory qualitative case study of 10 government secondary schools (Grades 7–12) in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, was conducted to investigate the extent to which the revised NSW gifted and talented policy (2004) has contributed to gifted program quality and scope. Findings from the qualitative analysis of in-depth interview data with principals (n = 10), gifted coordinators (n = 11), and teachers (n = 37) showed the following themes: (a) schools with a documented gifted policy were more likely to provide more substantially for their gifted students; (b) selective (all gifted) schools and schools with selective classes were more likely to provide distinctive gifted programs in line with state policy; (c) principals with a policy to follow were more likely to provide adequate resource support and professional development for teachers in the school; and (d) the desire of principals to meet policy mandate does not always equate to having the means to do so.

Perceptions of task interdependence and functional leadership in schools

The context of the research was senior leadership teams in schools in Australia. The study investigated relationships between task interdependence, psychological collectivism, self-efficacy for teamwork, and team member perceptions of leadership functions. A cross-sectional and correlational research design was employed. Fifty-seven senior leadership teams composed of principals and senior teachers within two Catholic education systems in New South Wales, Australia, participated in the study. Data were collected from an online survey completed by senior leadership team members and analyzed using multilevel data analysis strategies. The findings suggest the extent of functional leadership was positively related to perceived task interdependence.

A social cognitive investigation of Australian independent school Boards as teams

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate independent school Boards as teams using a social cognitive perspective. Specifically, the study investigated Board processes and the nature of relationships between Board member self-efficacy, Board collective efficacy and performance of independent school Boards in New South Wales, Australia. Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study design that used qualitative research methods was employed. An expert steering group provided advice on the categorization of governance structures. A stratified purposeful sample of eight independent school Boards within the Sydney metropolitan area, New South Wales Australia participated. Data were collected from individual, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with the Head of school, Board Chair and two Board members from each school. The interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using qualitative data analysis procedures suggested in the literature. Findings – The ...