Publication Date

1974

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Many, Wesley A.

Degree Name

M.S. Ed. (Master of Education)

Legacy Department

Department of Educational Administration and Services

LCSH

Teacher-administrator relationships; Elementary school principals; Elementary school teachers

Abstract

The intent of this study was to investigate teacher-principal trust and its relationship to selected elements of the building climate in elementary schools. The population consisted of five principals and their respective staffs. A total of 170 teachers participated. The Giffin Trust Differential and the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire were administered to 136 female and 34 male teachers of self-contained and teamed classes during the month of January in the 1973- 1974 academic year. A t-test was employed to discover significant dif­ference between the trust teachers viewed toward prin­cipals and the way that principals viewed that trust. Data pertaining to the relationship between trust, its subareas known as Dynamism, Character, and Expertness, and elements of the building climate identified as Aloof­ness, Production Emphasis, Thrust, and Consideration of the principal were analyzed by Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients. The results of the t-test showed no significant difference between the way teachers viewed trust toward principals and the way principals viewed that trust. Correlational analyses were not statistically signifi­cant between trust, its subareas, and Aloofness, Pro­duction Emphasis, and Consideration by total population, sex, or class type. There was a significant relationship between trust, its subareas, and the element of the climate known as Thrust for total population, females, and class type. However, there was no significant relationship for the trust subarea Dynamism and Thrust in males. The conclusions made from these results included: (1) there is agreement in the way teachers and principals view trust of the principal; (2) Thrust was related to the trust teachers had in their principals significantly; (3) there is a consistency in the way male and female teachers view trust in the principal in relationship to elements of the building climate describing the behavior of the principal; (4) the same was true of teachers in self-contained or teamed classes. These conclusions led to implications for the administrator: (1) the similar views of trust by teachers and principals allows for increased cooperation between them; (2) the ability of the principal to act informally with the teachers and give them the opportunities to initiate leadership in the organization increases the credibility of the principal and likewise his trust with the teachers; (3) the fact that sex or class type makes no difference in the trust of teachers toward principal behavior related to the climate may show that the principal's authenticity and credibility bring together different elements of the building.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references.

Extent

64 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

Download

Share

COinS