While much has been written about how principals motivate their teachers, there is a surprising paucity of research on what motivates principals themselves. Because a principal significantly impacts the academic achievement of students and because principal turnover disproportionately impacts low-income schools, it is imperative that we find a way to keep principals feeling motivated. We examined what principals say provides them motivation to succeed and found that praise—from students, supervisors, and parents—is very meaningful to them.
ArgonT. (2015, August). Teacher and administrator views on school principals’ accountability. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 15(4), 925-944. doi:10.12738/estp.2015.4.2467
2.
BassiM.Delle FaveA. (2012). Optimal experience among teachers: New insights into the work paradox. Journal of Psychology, 146, 533-557. doi:10.1080/00223980.2012.656156
3.
BéteilleT.KalogridesD.LoebS. (2011). Stepping stones: Principal career paths and school outcomes (Working Paper No. 17243). Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/papers/w17243
4.
BloombergL. D.VolpeM. (2012). Completing your qualitative dissertation: A road map from beginning to end (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
5.
BranchG.HanushekE.RivkinS. (2013). School leaders matter: Measuring the impact of effective principals. Education Next, 13, 62-69.
6.
CeloriaD.RobersonI. (2015, March). New principal coaching as a safety net. Educational Leadership and Administration: Teaching and Program Development, 26, 86-99. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1062267.pdf
7.
CerasoliC. P.NiclinJ. M.FordM. T. (2014). Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic incentives jointly predict performance: A 40-year meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 140, 980-1008. doi:10.1037/a0035661
8.
CherryK. (2015). What is motivation? The psychology of what motivates us. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com
9.
CreswellJ. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
10.
CreswellJ. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
11.
DealT. E.PetersonK. D. (1994). The leadership paradox: Balancing logic and artistry in schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
DhueyE.SmithJ. (2014). How important are school principals in the production of student achievement?Canadian Journal of Economics, 47(2), 634- 663. doi:10.1111/caje.12086
14.
ElmoreR. (2000). Building a new structure for school leadership. Washington D.C., MD: Albert Shanker Ins.
15.
EyalO.RothG. (2011). Principals’ leadership and teachers’ motivation: Self-determination theory analysis. Journal of Educational Administration, 49, 256-275.
16.
FairE. M.IIISilvestriL. (1992). Effects of rewards, competition and outcome on intrinsic motivation. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 19(1), 3-6.
17.
FriedmanI. A. (1995). School principal burnout: The concept and its components. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 16, 191-198. doi:10.1002/job.4030160209
GagnéM.DeciE. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26, 331-362. doi:10.1002/job.322
20.
HackmanJ. R.OldhamG. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16, 250-279.
21.
HallingerP.HeckR. H. (2010). Collaborative leadership and school improvement: Understanding the impact on school capacity and student learning. School Leadership & Management, 30, 95-110.
22.
HorngE.KalogridesD.LoebS. (2009). Principal preferences and the unequal distribution of principals across schools. Calder Working Paper 36. Washington D. C.: The Urban Institute.
23.
HuntJ. M. (1963). Motivation inherent in information processing and action. In O. J. Harvey (Ed.), Motivation and social interaction (pp. 35-94). New York, NY: Ronald.
KritsonisW. A. (2015). Chapter 4: The principal’s role in school discipline. National Forum of Education and Supervision Journal, 32(3), 31-37.
26.
KurlandH.PeretzH.Hertz-LazarowitzR. (2010). Leadership style and organizational learning: The mediate effect of school vision. Journal of Educational Administration, 48(1), 7-30. doi: 10.1108/09578231011015395
27.
LehmanL. E.BoylandL. G.SriverS. K. (2014). Superintendents’ perception of the effectiveness of newly hired principals. NCPEA International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 9(2), 91-110. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1048058.pdf
28.
LeithwoodK.JantziD. (2005). A review of transformational school leadership research 1996–2005. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 4, 177-199.
MachadoL. J.ChungC. (2015). Integrating technology: The principal’s role and effect. International Educational Studies, 8(5), 43-53. doi:10.5539/ies.v8n5p43
31.
MarsdenK. E.MaW. J.DeciE. L.RyanR. M.ChiuP. H. (2014). Diminished neural responses predict enhanced intrinsic motivation and sensitivity to external incentive. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 15, 276-286. doi:10.3758/s13415-014-0324-5
32.
MaslachC.JacksonS. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 2, 99-113.
33.
McAdamsR. P. (1997). A systems approach to school reform. Phi Delta Kappan, 79(2), 138-142. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ551991
34.
PrombergerM.MarteauT. M. (2013). When do financial incentives reduce intrinsic motivation? Comparing behaviors studied in psychological and economic literatures. Health Psychology, 32, 950-957. doi:10.1037/a0032727
RyanR. M.DeciE. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 54-67. doi:10.1006/ceps.1999.1020
37.
RyanR. M.SheldonK. M.KasserT.DeciE. L. (1996). All goals were not created equal: An organismic perspective on the nature of goals and their regulation. In GollwitzerP. M.BarghJ. A. (Eds.), The psychology of action: Linking cognition and motivation to behavior (pp. 7-26). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
38.
SaldañaJ. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
SmithW. F.AndrewsR. L. (1989). Instructional leadership: How Principals make a difference. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
WatersT.MarzanoR. J.McNultyB. (2003). Balanced leadership: What 30 years of research tells us about the effect of leadership on student achievement: A working paper. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED481972.pdf
43.
WhitakerT.WhitakerB.LumpaD. (2013). Motivating & inspiring teachers: The educational leader’s guide for building staff morale. New York, NY: Routledge.
44.
WhiteR. W. (1959). Motivation reconsidered: The concept of competence. Psychological Review, 66, 297-333.
45.
WitziersB.BoskerR. J.KrügerM. L. (2003). Educational leadership and student achievement: The elusive search for an association. Educational Administration Quarterly, 39, 398-425.
