Teacher Perception Of Principal Leadership Practices

201 Pages·2017·6.01 MB·English

Eastern Kentucky University
Encompass
Online Theses and Dissertations Student Scholarship
January 2016
Teacher Perception Of Principal Leadership
Practices: Impacting Teachers' Sense Of Self-
Efficacy In Rural Appalachia Kentucky
Brandon Lee Hibbard
Eastern Kentucky University
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Recommended Citation
Hibbard, Brandon Lee, "Teacher Perception Of Principal Leadership Practices: Impacting Teachers' Sense Of Self-Efficacy In Rural
Appalachia Kentucky" (2016).Online Theses and Dissertations. 374.
https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/374
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TEACHER PERCEPTION OF PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICES:
IMPACTING TEACHERS’ SENSE OF SELF-EFFICACY
IN RURAL APPALACHIA KENTUCKY

By
BRANDON LEE HIBBARD

Master of Arts
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, Kentucky
2011

Master of Arts
Union College
Barbourville, Kentucky
2006

Bachelor of Science
Morehead State University
Morehead, Kentucky
2001

Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School
Eastern Kentucky University
In partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May, 2016
Copyright © Brandon Lee Hibbard, 2016
All rights reserved

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DEDICATION
I would like to dedicate this manuscript to my family and friends. Your patience
and understanding has been inspirational and I would not be here today without all your
support and unwavering faith. I will always remember the encouragement you gave me
during this time in my life.
To my wife, Kayla, you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. God
really knew what he was doing when he put you in my life. I can’t think of another
woman that would put up with a nerd like me that took way more classes than any one
person should. I know we missed out on a lot of things, but I promise that we will start
from this day forward to make up for it. I love you with all my heart and I can’t wait for
the next chapter in our life.
To my son, Branson, right now you’re too little to understand what Daddy has
done, but through this whole journey I had thoughts of you and the life I could provide by
getting my doctorate. I didn’t have a lot of options growing up, but education gave me a
way to better my life and open doors that I never thought possible. My prayer is that you
will see the value in learning and use it to make life everything you could possibly want it
to be. I love you buddy.
To my sister, Abigail, thank you for being the first. If you had never went to
college I don’t know if I would have had the courage to do it myself. You have always
been an inspiration to me. You showed me that we didn’t have to settle for the hand life
dealt us. You found the way out and I was happy to follow in your footsteps.
To my mom, Janis, you will always be the greatest woman I have ever known.
To have the resolve and determination, the way you did, to make a better life for your
children is something I can only hope to mimic. Your strength carried me through the
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toughest times in my life. Although you were taken from us to soon, I still felt your
loving comfort during my times of doubt and frustration. I wouldn’t be the person I am
today had it not been for you. Thank you for always believing in me. I love you mom.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Charles Hausman, for his guidance,
leadership and support. With every barrier in our way we tend to find a path to success.
I wish there were enough hours in a day to complete all the task we take on.
I would like to thank Dr. James Bliss, our classes together were insightful and
intriguing. You gave me an understanding of what research should really look like. I
hope my career allows me to gain half the experience and knowledge you possess. You
kept me motivated throughout this process and I will always appreciate your guidance
and assistance.
Thank you Dr. Amon Couch, you have been a great mentor to me. You have
shown me what it means to be a true leader. When I am faced with adversity I hope I can
be as poised and professional as you.
Thank you Dr. Robert Biggin, you have placed me on the path to success. I hope
throughout my career I can have a fraction of the impact you have had on education.
Through your work and personal life you have truly been an inspiration.
Finally, I would like to thank all the professors at Eastern Kentucky University
whom I have had the pleasure of learning from during this program. I am a changed man
having been exposed to your educational insight. No longer am I a consumer of
knowledge, but now I am a creator and contributor.

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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to determine if a significant relationship existed
between principal leadership practices, as perceived by teachers, and teacher’s sense of
self-efficacy. The target population was rural Appalachian teachers that worked for a
principal that had been in administration for at least three consecutive years. This study
utilized teacher responses from a survey consisting of the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy
Scale (TSES, Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk-Hoy, 2001) and the Leadership Practice
Inventory – observer (LPI, Kouzes & Posner, 2003).
Results from the survey categorized levels of self-efficacy for teachers based on
the works of Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk-Hoy (2001). Self-efficacy was broken
down into three sub-domains (student engagement, instructional strategies and classroom
management) and correlated to response items on the TSES. Overall, Appalachian
teachers in the study scored high in perceived levels of self-efficacy (M = 7.1835, SD =
.87641).
The LPI collected data to measure five leadership practices as observed by
teachers. These practices are: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the
Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. A close inspection of the data
from the LPI revealed an issue with multicollinearity. Teacher responses did not measure
the five leadership practices as intended but showed a consensus of exemplary leadership.
This generalization made it impossible to perform a correlational analysis between
teacher self-efficacy and perceived principal leadership practices.
The responses given from teachers in the study imply that principal leadership has
the same meaning within the selected Appalachian schools. A similar leadership style
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based on principal preparatory programs, cultural expectation and individual upbringing
could have played a role in limiting the variance in LPI responses. This equates to
principal leadership practices not holding a direct impact on self-efficacy as hoped, but a
more implied sense of indirect leadership qualities and traits that drive teachers to push
students to higher levels of success.

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