Will Dwyer

Publication Date

2017

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Wilkins, Elizabeth A.

Degree Name

Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)

Legacy Department

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

LCSH

Educational leadership; School management and organization; Education

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative exploration was to examine the environmental influences impactful to principal self-efficacy and the links between environment and efficacy. Participants for this study were identified from a pool of 125 school principals recognized by the Illinois Interactive Report Card for significantly increasing student achievement between 2011 and 2013. The study focused on six practicing principals in Illinois public k-12 schools and employed one 60-minute interview and three participant journal prompts for each participant. The data from participant interviews and journal prompts were analyzed using grounded theory qualitative methods through the theoretical framework of Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory. Findings from this study indicate that principals have a large amount of control over their own self-efficacy through managing the following environmental influences: Gaining the buy-in of their staff, confronting and overcoming personnel challenges, having non-evaluative peer networks, creating successful school improvement processes, and directly observing student successes. This study also found superintendents/superiors exert a large amount of control over principal self-efficacy through direct verbal support and building consistent and trusting relationships with principals. The recommendations for future research and the field of principal self-efficacy are presented as well.

Comments

Advisors: Elizabeth Wilkins.||Committee members: Daryl Dugas; Kelly Summers.||Includes bibliographical references.||Includes illustrations.

Extent

ix, 205 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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