The Beliefs and Behaviors of Elementary School Principals Related to Three Change Orientations: Initiator, Receptor, and Down-Player.

Abstract

The study sought to identify the beliefs and behaviors of elementary school principals in one school district in relation to three change orientations: initiator, receptor, and down-player. The relationship of these change orientations to the district-wide heuristic for the role of the elementary principal in dealing with change was explored. Twelve elementary principals were selected through peer-principal nomination to the three change orientations. Participants, whose category of nomination was not known to the researcher, were interviewed twice. The district expectation for the role was assessed through interviews with central office superiors and examination of documents. Principal interviews were analyzed in relation to ten dimensions dealing with role behavior. Researcher nominations to change orientations were compared with principal-peer nominations and data analysis was compared to district expectations for the role and to related literature. Initiator-typical principal behaviors and beliefs were highly congruent with both the district heuristic and the literature describing principals in effective schools. Initiators felt efficacious as both instructional leader and business manager, provided structures for consideration of staff ideas, were highly engaged, saw staff as capable and facilitated positive relationships, viewed cognitive and affective domains as equally important, perceived that power emanated from their demonstrated expertise, had varied training and experiences, and were articulated in presentation of ideas. Receptor-principals accepted the district heuristic while feeling unable to meet its expectations, but continuing its pursuit. They provided minimal structure, accepting staff input but not developing building-wide focus, were human-relations oriented and functioned as observers facilitating interactions of others, relied on hierarchical solutions, negated the power of the role, doubted the validity of their ideas, sought authorization to initiate, and had less varied training and experiences than Initiators. Down-Players rejected the heuristic as untenable, did not feel efficacious in any aspect of the instructional leadership role, did not provide functional structures for consideration of staff input or development of positive staff relationships, were withdrawn from the educational process, viewed teachers as less than competent, stressed only the cognitive aspect of education, could not describe the source of leadership power, had narrowly-focused training and experiences, and presented ideas in a non-cohesive manner.