Self-Efficacy Development in School Leaders: An Alternate Paradigm

Several theorists have tried to explain the concern of short superintendency tenure. The interests of the researchers involved studying conflict management in relationship to superintendent turnover and congruency with the school board. One research study included all public school superintendents in the United States. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through the Thomas-Kilmann Inventory (TKI), an open-ended interview protocol, and the Organizational Leadership Effectiveness Inventory. The research study sought to answer questions related to the conflict management modes of superintendents. A Chi-square test was conducted to identify if there was a larger proportion than expected in any one of the five conflict management modes. The purpose of the second study was to determine if the congruence between the ideal/actual and expected/perceived roles of the superintendent [based on the eight State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) standards between the superintendents and school board presidents in Texas] had an effect on student achievement. The subjects for this study were those responding superintendents and school board presidents, as identified by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), that have served together for a period of three or more years as a district's leadership team. A Pearson-r correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the similarities between superintendent and school board responses. An ANOVA was also used to determine congruence between superintendents' and board members' responses pertaining to SBEC standards. Results reveal that public school superintendents have significantly different conflict management approaches. These differences in conflict management modes affect the manner in which superintendents relate to and interact with all facets of leadership. The data collected from the survey of superintendents and school board presidents revealed that there is a statistically significant difference between ideal and actual roles of superintendents and school boards. This lack of congruence could play a major role in the creation of conflict by external forces that must be managed by the superintendent. (Contains 2 tables.)