Secondary school leaders in Western North Carolina : the impact of place and gender on selection and behavior

Secondary school leaders in Western North Carolina : the impact of place and gender on selection and behavior

High school principals -- Attitudes

School management and organization

Sex discrimination in education

Women school principals -- North Carolina

Justice, Pamela Pless

2007

McFadden, Anna T.

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

application/pdf

manuscripts (documents)

Text

61789

https://southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org/object/61789

Limited to on-campus users

The purpose of this study was twofold. The first purpose was to determine whether significant differences exist between the perceptions of male and female secondary principals in relation to the four factors of Synergistic Leadership Theory, which include leadership behaviors, external forces, organizational structure, and attitudes, beliefs, and values. The second purpose was to determine the ways in which gender and place affect the access to positions and performance of high school principals in Western North Carolina; then to compare the experiences of males and females in these roles. The study used two frames of reference. First frame of reference was the Synergistic Leadership Theory (SLT). This framework encompasses the interactions of leadership behaviors, organizational structure, external forces, as well as attitudes, beliefs, and values (lrby, Brown, Duffy, & Trautman, 2002). The SLT is a gender-inclusive, holistic perspective of leadership and organization, and how they impact what leaders do and how organizations function (lrby et al., 2002). The second frame of reference is found in The Social Construction of Educational Leadership: Southern Appalachian Ceilings. The core understanding is that an awareness of place is essential to accessing school leadership positions in Western North Carolina, and that adopting behaviors congruent with local expectations are expected for secondary school leaders, as well as those senior level administrators researched by McFadden and Smith (2004b). Target population for the first component was derived from the respondents of the population of principals of Western North Carolina secondary schools during the 2005-2006 school year. The researcher used the Organizational Leadership Effectiveness Inventory (OLEI), augmented with a demographic component to gather principals' demographic profile and educational experiences, to examine participant perceptions of how the four factors of the Synergistic Leadership Theory interact. The OLEI is a survey instrument designed to examine school leaders' perceptions of the Synergistic Leadership Theory. Target population for the second component included the six female secondary school principals and six male secondary school principals in schools of similar size in the Western North Carolina districts. Using a qualitative method of inquiry, an interview protocol examined the reflective experiences of secondary school leaders. It allowed participants to share their lived experiences in Southern Appalachian high schools, specifically in Western North Carolina. By responding to a series of semi-structured interview questions, each participant had the opportunity to share personal experiences of accessing their jobs as well as aspects of their performance as high school principals in Western North Carolina. The study concluded that there are no significant differences in male and female secondary school principals' perceptions of the interactions of the SL T factors of leadership behavior, external forces, organizational structure, and attitudes, beliefs, and values. Additionally, the study concluded that the number of women accessing high school principalships will continue to increase in the region of Western North Carolina, following trends reported in other sections of the country. However, it is more likely that males and females who are ""insiders"" or who have achieved an ""insider"" advantage by adopting behaviors congruent with local expectations will have easier access to these high school principalship positions. Further, gender issues could have some impact upon performance in the high school principalship. However, it is more likely that high school leaders of both genders who have ""insider'' status or who adopt accommodating behaviors congruent with local expectations and therefore achieve ""insider"" status, will more likely have more desirable results. The experiences of males and females are both similar and unique. Therefore it is likely that principals of either gender who have ""insider"" status will have more desirable results. Conversely, those principals, both male and female who fail to adopt professional socialization and assimilating behaviors will have less desirable results.

2015-06-09

All rights reserved. For permissions, contact Hunter Library Digital Collections, Western Carolina U, Cullowhee, NC 28723

North Carolina

37088 KB(file size)

xix, 214 leaves(pages)

Western Carolina University Restricted Electronic Theses and Dissertations