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Predicting the gap: perceptual congruence between American principals and their teachers’ ratings of leadership effectiveness

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Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the extent to which principals’ self-ratings of leadership effectiveness coincide with their teachers’ perceptions of their leadership effectiveness. Furthermore, we explore several characteristics of teachers and principals in an attempt to identify the factors that may predict congruence in perceptions of leadership. This study draws from survey data of 76 principals and over 2100 teachers who completed parallel forms of a 72-item Learning-Centered Leadership survey (VAL-ED©) in the USA. Teacher and principal characteristics are incorporated into a multivariate regression analysis. Although there is zero difference in the overall sample, teachers and principals within any given school seldom share the same perspective. Principals’ self-efficacy was a strong predictor of principals rating themselves higher than the teachers. Interestingly, the more time a teacher spent with a principal, the less congruence they shared. This research has identified rather large disparities in perceptions of leadership between teachers and their principals. Such a gap suggests that teachers have information and perspectives on school leadership distinct from the principals’ information and perspectives. This research provides evidence that structured teacher feedback may provide a useful avenue for principals seeking additional perspectives on their leadership effectiveness.

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Notes

  1. A detailed analysis of the reliability and validity of the VAL-ED can be found in Porter et al. (2010); A full explication of the conceptual and theoretical foundations of the VAL-ED can be found in Murphy et al. (2007).

  2. The data for this paper are part of a larger project studying the effect of feedback and coaching on school leaders where additional data were collected.

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Acknowledgments

This study was made possible through the generous support of the Improving Principal Leadership through Feedback and Coaching project from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Funding for Peter Goff was provided by an IES grant through Vanderbilt’s ExpERT program for doctoral training (R305B040110).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 270L Education Bldg, 1000 Bascom Mall, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Peter T Goff

  2. Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA

    Ellen Goldring

  3. Psychology, Psychiatry and Public Policy, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203-5721, USA

    Leonard Bickman

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  1. Peter T Goff
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Correspondence to Peter T Goff.

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Goff, P.T., Goldring, E. & Bickman, L. Predicting the gap: perceptual congruence between American principals and their teachers’ ratings of leadership effectiveness. Educ Asse Eval Acc 26, 333–359 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-014-9202-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-014-9202-5

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