Teacher Perceptions of Principals’ Leadership Qualities: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

This mixed methods sequential explanatory study utilized the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, responses to open-ended questions, and in-depth interviews to identify transformational leadership qualities that were present among principals in Alberta, Canada. The first quantitative phase consisted of a random sample of 135 schools (with student populations in excess of 250 students) in Alberta, Canada. Selected teachers from these schools completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and additional open-ended questions to identify transformational leadership qualities among principals. An initial response rate of 55.1% (N = 744) was reduced to 37.7% (n = 509), as some surveys were not acceptable for data analysis. Teacher ratings of principals on the variables of extra effort, effectiveness, and satisfaction were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. The survey results provided nominal categories used to stratify the principals based on transformational leadership qualities as perceived by teachers. In the second phase, qualitative data analysis occurred in two steps. Step 1 consisted of the analysis of the open-ended responses completed in Phase 1. This included 166 teachers who categorized their principals as highly transformational and 93 who viewed their principals as exhibiting low levels of transformational leadership. Step 2 consisted of in-depth telephone interviews conducted with nine selected teachers who had principals identified in the highest (n = 5) or lowest (n = 4) quartile of transformational leadership qualities. Schools were randomly selected to be represented in each quartile. Once the list of the 10 selected schools was compiled, individual teachers from the schools were asked to participate in a phone interview. The quantitative results indicated that the transformational leadership scores did not account for the differences in the variance of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire output variables. The qualitative interpretation of the open-ended responses and subsequent interviews allowed for concluding that teachers preferred school principals who displayed transformational leadership characteristics in the areas of idealized influence, individual consideration, inspirational motivation, and intellectual stimulation. This mixed methods study allowed for the researchers to identify qualitatively the transformational leadership qualities that were deemed the most desirable in principals based on teacher perceptions. It reinforced the need for principals to be cognizant of meeting the expectations of school-based personnel when implementing change. More research is required to determine methods of implementation and measurement of transformational leadership in the field of education. The educational importance of the information relates to administrator preparation and in-service development.