Examining Principals' Espoused Beliefs and Actions

Abstract

This quantitative study examined the relationship between principals’ espoused beliefs and their actions as educational leaders. Principals in the state of Alabama were invited to participate in the study. A researcher created survey was used to determine if the principals’ self-reported instructional and transformational actions were related to their beliefs. The findings revealed that principals control beliefs were strongly related to both their instructional and transformational actions. Also, through a standard multiple regression, results showed a strong positive correlation between principal beliefs and instructional actions and a moderately positive correlation between principal beliefs and transformational actions. The study additionally indicated that behavioral beliefs and control beliefs statistically and significantly predict instructional actions while control beliefs and normative beliefs statistically and significantly predict transformational actions.