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Managerial behaviours of primary and secondary school principals in Singapore
Citation
Soucie, D., Zhang, Y., & Leong, W. F. (2000). Managerial behaviours of primary and secondary school principals in Singapore. In J. Ee, B. Kaur, N. H. Lee, & B. H. Yeap (Eds.), New ‘literacies’: Educational response to a knowledge-based society: Proceedings of the ERA-AME-AMIC Joint Conference 2000 (pp. 511-519). Educational Research Association.
Author
Soucie, Daniel
•
Zhang, Yenming
•
Leong, Wing Fatt
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to measure how consistently and extensively primary and secondary school principals use several managerial behaviours or practices deemed to be relevant to effective leadership. A random stratified sample (n=97) of principals was selected to participate in the study. The sample included 68 principals from primary and 28 from secondary schools, 44 males and 52 females. The average age was 49, and the average experience as school principal was 7 years. The Managerial Practices Survey (MPS) developed by Yukl, Wall, and Lepsinger (1990) was utilised to assess how often the principals use fourteen different categories of managerial behaviours. Results show the following: recognising, supporting, consulting and team building are the four behaviours used most frequently by principals. Furthermore, significant differences were found, for several managerial practices, on the basis on school level, gender, and age. Primary school principals use recognising (p<.05; t=2.38; df=94) significantly more often than secondary school principals. Female principals use monitoring (p<.05; t=2.04; df=92) more extensively than male principals. Compared to younger principals (36-50 years of age), older principals (51-61 years of age) use recognising (p<.05; t=2.07; df=94) and networking (p<.05; t=2.06; df=93) to a greater extent.
Date Issued
September 2000
Description
This paper was published in the Proceedings of the ERA-AME-AMIC Joint Conference held at Singapore from 4-6 September 2000