Instructional Management and its Relationship to the Context of the School and Characteristics of the Principal

Abstract

The influence of the principal on the instructional program has been a consistent theme throughout effective schools research. The purpose of this study was to examine the principalship and various factors that may affect instructional management behavior. The following have been identified as factors that may affect principal behavior: school size, socioeconomic status of students, gender of the principal, and administrative experience. The study examined the degree to which each variable was associated with instructional management behavior. The research design was a correlational study using a survey methodology. A total of forty-four (N=44) schools and 343 teachers participated in the study. Instructional staff members were asked to rate their perception of the frequency with which principals engaged in specific instructional management practices. Multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationships between instructional management behavior and school size, socioeconomic status of students, gender of the principal, and administrative experience. When the rating scale composite scores were examined, administrative experience was the only variable that was statistically significant. Of the ten subscales included in the rating scale, eight were found to be statistically significant in relation to administrative experience. Eight of the ten subscale scores and composite scores revealed inverse relationships between instructional management behavior and administrative experience. The study concluded that, as administrative experience increases, the frequency with which principals engage in specific instructional management practices appears to decrease.