Leadership Style and School Climate: A Comparison Between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Women Principals in Southern New Mexico

Secondary Education    Principals/Superintendents

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TITLE: Leadership Style and School Climate: A Comparison Between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Women Principals in Southern New Mexico
 
RESEARCHER: Barbara Remondini
Graduate School of Education
New Mexico State University
Doctoral Dissertation: May 2001

OBJECTIVE
This study examined the relationship between school climate and the leadership style of female public school principals, and considered if any differences were due to ethnicity.

METHODOLOGY
Participants were female public school principals in southern New Mexico. Eighteen principals (78%) and 298 of their teachers (46%) participated in the study. Seven of the principals were Hispanic. Respondents completed the LPI and the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (Halpin & Croft, 1962). Principals were considered "transformative" if there LPI scores were all above the 70th percentile (normative database).

KEY FINDINGS
Principals in this study did not rate themselves as more transformative than did their teachers. Hispanic principals were not found to use a transformative leadership style more than other leadership styles, nor does their leadership style differ from that of non-Hispanic female principals. A statistically significant relationship was found between leadership styles and organizational climate for supportive principal behavior and intimate teacher behavior but not for directive or restrictive principal behavior nor for collegial or disengaged teacher behavior.