Examining Espoused Beliefs and Actions of Assistant Principals in Alabama
Date
2012-08-02Type of Degree
dissertationDepartment
Education Foundation, Leadership, and Technology
Metadata
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This quantitative research study examined beliefs and actions of assistant principals in Alabama. Assistant principals were the only group used in this study. From this research study, the researcher also wanted to explore what are barriers to prevent assistant principals from making behavioral, normative, and control beliefs match instructional and transformational actions. There are few empirical studies that focus on the assistant principals and their role within the school. According to some educational research, school leaders must be able to provide both transformational and instructional leadership (Darling-Hammond et al., 2010; Hallinger, 2005). Using Ajzens’s Theory of Planned Behavior (2002) the researchers developed an instrument and surveyed assistant principals in Alabama in regards to their educational beliefs and actions. Assistant principals control beliefs were strongly related to both their instructional and transformational actions. Through a standard multiple regression, results showed a strong positive correlation between assistant principal beliefs and instructional actions and a moderately positive correlation between assistant principal beliefs and transformational actions. The study additionally indicated that normative beliefs and control beliefs statistically and significantly predict instructional actions while behavioral beliefs and control beliefs statistically and significantly predict transformational actions.