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Measuring transformational leadership in classroom teachers
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Type
Thesis
Author
Lee, Yim Ping
Supervisor
Lee, Ong Kim
Abstract
This study examined students’ perceptions of leadership qualities of teachers in the classrooms. Although several instruments exist which measured the different aspects and forms of leadership qualities, none of them is relevant nor appropriate to the classroom teacher whose charges are the students they teach. The typical scales assess leadership in formal and management positions and roles in non-education environments. Such scales which grew out from the occupations of leaders in the corporate world, military organisations and government agencies, may be generalized across to the roles of principals and heads-of department in the schools. However, they are not relevant to someone who teaches students in a classroom.
The purpose of this study was to develop a new scale, Teacher Classroom Leadership Questionnaire (TCLQ), to measure students’ perceptions of classroom teacher leadership qualities. The development of the TCLQ was based on respondents of students (N = 825), practising and trainee teachers (N=238) and headsof–department (N=135). The construction, validation, calibration and trial of the scale were a two-stage development.
Stage 1 consisted of item development using the grounded theory approach which included the generation of an item pool from teachers and students recalling the behaviours of a special teacher whose influence and vision were able to lead and inspire them to great heights of achievement and developments (N = 210). Senior teachers (N = 51) familiar with classroom teacher-student interactions were consulted during this stage. Six scales, namely Learner Centred (C), Engaging Dispositions (F), Student Active Inquiry (S), Intrinsic Motivation (M), Extrinsic Reinforcement (R) and X-leadership Qualities (X) were identified and developed in this initial stage.
Stage 2 has three steps. Step 2.1 assessed the validity and reliability of the scales using a sample which consisted of secondary school students (N= 471). The responses helped to provide preliminary reliability information to further fine-tune the items in the instrument. Step 2.2 worked with a revised TCLQ consisting of 63 items to carry out a quantitative exercise to validate the instrument’s content adequacy using a panel of 135 HODs as judges. Step 2.3 was an item calibration exercise based on fit statistics from the Rasch model analysis. The calibrated TCLQ was used to measure 354 students’ perceptions of their teachers.
Limitations of the study and implications for future research of the TCLQ were also discussed. In addition to further efforts on gathering more evidence to validate and fine-tune the instrument, future work could be directed to developing a parallel version of the TCLQ for teachers to self-assess their leadership qualities in their interactions with students in the classroom. Information from students’ ratings and teachers’ self-assessment can serve as a 360-degree feedback tool for teacher professional development. Validated feedback is a useful source for self-awareness and for charting of learning road maps.
The purpose of this study was to develop a new scale, Teacher Classroom Leadership Questionnaire (TCLQ), to measure students’ perceptions of classroom teacher leadership qualities. The development of the TCLQ was based on respondents of students (N = 825), practising and trainee teachers (N=238) and headsof–department (N=135). The construction, validation, calibration and trial of the scale were a two-stage development.
Stage 1 consisted of item development using the grounded theory approach which included the generation of an item pool from teachers and students recalling the behaviours of a special teacher whose influence and vision were able to lead and inspire them to great heights of achievement and developments (N = 210). Senior teachers (N = 51) familiar with classroom teacher-student interactions were consulted during this stage. Six scales, namely Learner Centred (C), Engaging Dispositions (F), Student Active Inquiry (S), Intrinsic Motivation (M), Extrinsic Reinforcement (R) and X-leadership Qualities (X) were identified and developed in this initial stage.
Stage 2 has three steps. Step 2.1 assessed the validity and reliability of the scales using a sample which consisted of secondary school students (N= 471). The responses helped to provide preliminary reliability information to further fine-tune the items in the instrument. Step 2.2 worked with a revised TCLQ consisting of 63 items to carry out a quantitative exercise to validate the instrument’s content adequacy using a panel of 135 HODs as judges. Step 2.3 was an item calibration exercise based on fit statistics from the Rasch model analysis. The calibrated TCLQ was used to measure 354 students’ perceptions of their teachers.
Limitations of the study and implications for future research of the TCLQ were also discussed. In addition to further efforts on gathering more evidence to validate and fine-tune the instrument, future work could be directed to developing a parallel version of the TCLQ for teachers to self-assess their leadership qualities in their interactions with students in the classroom. Information from students’ ratings and teachers’ self-assessment can serve as a 360-degree feedback tool for teacher professional development. Validated feedback is a useful source for self-awareness and for charting of learning road maps.
Date Issued
2005
Call Number
LB2806 Lee
Date Submitted
2005