Abstract
School principals have been widely neglected in school health promotion. Due to societal changes and important school reforms, the job requirements of this occupational group have also dramatically changed. Against this background, available research results on principals’ health are presented. Moreover, two additional perspectives on the role of school principals in school health promotion are discussed in more detail in this chapter. While one perspective deals with the question as to whether and how principals affect teachers’ health, the other illuminates the influence of principals on the implementation and overall success of health promoting activities in the school. The chapter closes with a discussion of the findings and recommendations for future research and practice.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Antonovsky, A. (1987). Unraveling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Barry, M. M., Domitrovich, C., & Lara, M. A. (2005). The implementation of mental health promotion programmes. Promotion & Education, 12(Suppl. 2), 30–36.
Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York: Free Press.
Bass, B. M. (1990). From transactional to transformational leadership: Learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics, 18, 19–31.
Borg, M. G., & Riding, R. J. (1993). Occupational stress and job satisfaction among school administrators. Journal of Educational Administration, 31, 4–21.
Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper & Row.
Carr, A. (1994). Anxiety and depression among school principals – Warning, principalship can be hazardous to your health. Journal of Educational Administration, 32, 18–34.
Chaplain, R. P. (2001). Stress and job satisfaction among primary headteachers. A question of balance? Educational Management & Administration, 29, 197–215.
Cheng, Y. C. (2002). The changing context of school leadership. In K. Leithwood & P. Hallinger (Eds.), Second international handbook of leadership and administration (pp. 103–132). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishing.
Combs, J., Edmonson, S. L., & Jackson, S. H. (2009). Burnout among elementary school principals. AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice, 5, 10–15.
Cooper, C. L., & Kelly, M. (1993). Occupational stress in head teachers: A national UK study. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 63, 130–143.
Dadaczynski, K. (2012). Die Rolle der Schulleitung in der guten gesunden Schule. In DAK-Gesundheit & N. R. W. Unfallkasse (Eds.), Handbuch Lehrergesundheit – Impulse für die Entwicklung guter gesunder Schulen (pp. 197–228). Köln: Carl Link.
Dadaczynski, K., & Paulus, P. (2011). Psychische Gesundheit aus Sicht von Schulleitungen: Erste Ergebnisse einer internationalen Onlinestudie für Deutschland. Psychologie in Erziehung und Unterricht, 58, 306–318.
Darmody, M., & Smyth, E. (2011). Job satisfaction and occupational stress among primary school teachers and school principals in Ireland. A report compiled by the ESRI on behalf of the teaching council. http://tinyurl.com/7ldcyq2. Accessed 14 Mar 2012.
Devos, G., Bouckenooghe, D., Engels, N., Hottin, G., & Aelterman, A. (2007). An assessment of well-being of principals in Flemish primary schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 45, 33–61.
Dewa, S. C., Dermer, S. W., Chau, N., Lowrey, S., Mawson, S., & Bell, J. (2009). Examination of factors associated with the mental health status of principals. Work, 33, 439–448.
Downey, A. M., & Sharp, D. J. (2007). Why do managers allocate resources to workplace health promotion programmes in countries with national health coverage. Health Promotion International, 22, 102–111.
Durlak, J. A. (1997). Successful prevention programs for children and adolescents. New York: Plenum.
Evans, R. (1995). Getting real about leadership. Education Week, 14, 29:36.
Fagan, A. A., & Mihalic, S. (2003). Strategies for enhancing the adoption of school-based prevention programs: Lessons learned from the blueprints for violence prevention replications of the life skills training program. Journal of Community Psychology, 31, 235–253.
Faragher, E. B., Cass, M., & Cooper, C. L. (2005). The relationship between job satisfaction and health: A meta-analysis. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 62, 105–112.
Friedman, I. A. (2001). Burnout in school principals: Role related antecedents. Social Psychology of Education, 5, 229–251.
Fullan, M. G., Miles, M. B., & Taylor, G. (1980). Organizational development in schools: The state of the art. Review of Educational Research, 50, 121–183.
Gmelch, W. H., & Gates, G. (1998). The impact of personal, professional and organizational characteristics on administration burnout. Journal of Educational Administration, 36, 146–159.
Gmelch, W. H., & Swent, B. (1981). Stress and the principalship: Strategies for self-improvement and growth. NASSP Bulletin, 65, 16–19.
Hagemann, K., Jarausch, K. H., & Allemann-Ghionda, C. (Eds.). (2011). Children, families, and states: Time policies of childcare, preschool and primary education in Europe. Oxford: Berghahn Books.
Harazd, B., & Ophuysen van, S. (2011). Transformationale Führung in Schulen. Der Einsatz des „Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire“(MLQ 5 x Short). Journal for Educational Research Online, 3, 141–167.
Harazd, B., Gieske, M., & Rolff, H.-G. (2009). Gesundheitsmanagement in der Schule. Lehrergesundheit als neue Aufgabe der Schulleitung. Köln: Wolters Kluwer.
Hasselhorn, H.-M. (2009). Arbeitsbedingte psychische Erschöpfung bei Lehrern im Vergleich mit anderen Berufsgruppen. In U. Kliebisch & R. Melofski (Eds.), LehrerGesundheit. Anregungen für die Praxis (pp. 73–82). Baltmannsweiler: Schneider Verlag Hohengehren.
Hasselhorn, H.-M., & Nübling, M. (2004). Arbeitsbedingte psychische Erschöpfung bei Erwerbstätigen in Deutschland. Arbeitsmedizin - Sozialmedizin - Umweltmedizin, 39, 568–576.
Huber, S. G. (1999). Was macht Schule wirksam? Schul-Management, 30, 10–17.
Huber, S. G. (2004). School leadership and leadership development – Adjusting leadership theories and development programs to values and the core purpose of school. Journal of Educational Administration, 42, 669–684.
Huber, S. G. (2007). Schulleiter/-innen – multifunktionale Wunderwesen oder professionelle Teamarbeiter? Anforderungen an Schulleitung. SchVw Spezial, 3, 32–35.
Hüfner, G. (2010). Befragung von Schulleitungen 2010 an bayrische grund-, Haupt- und Förderschulen. München: Bayrischer Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerverband.
Inchley, J., Muldoon, J., & Currie, C. (2006). Becoming a health promoting school: Evaluating the process of effective implementation in Scotland. Health Promotion International, 22, 65–71.
Johnsen, S., Cooper, C., Cartwright, S., Donald, I., Taylor, P., & Millet, C. (2005). The experience of work-related stress across occupations. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 20, 178–187.
Kam, C.-M., Greenberg, M. T., & Walls, C. T. (2003). Examining the role of implementation quality in school-based prevention using the PATHS Curriculum. Prevention Sciences, 4, 55–63.
Landert Partner. (2009). Arbeitssituation der Schulleitungen im Kanton Thurgau. Evaluation. Zürich: Landert Partner.
Landsmann, L. (1978). Warning to principals: You may be hazardous to your teachers’ health. National Elementary Principal, 57, 69–72.
Larsen, T., & Samdal, O. (2008). Facilitating the implementation and sustainability of Second Step. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 52, 187–204.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.
Leithwood, K. (1994). Leadership for school restructuring. Educational Administration Quarterly, 30(4), 498–518.
Leithwood, K., & Day, C. (2007). Starting with what we know. In C. Day & K. Leithwood (Eds.), Successful principal leadership in times of change (pp. 1–15). New York: Springer.
Leithwood, K., & Sun, J. (2012). The nature and effects of transformational school leadership: A meta-analytic review of unpublished research. Educational Administration Quarterly. doi:10.1177/0013161X11436268.
Leurs, M., Bessems, K., Schaalma, H. P., & de Vries, H. (2007). Focus points for school health promotion improvements in Dutch primary schools. Health Education Research, 22, 58–69.
Littrell, P. C., Billingsley, B. S., & Cross, L. H. (1994). The effects of principal support on special and general educators’ stress, job satisfaction, school commitment, health, and intent to stay in teaching. Remedial and Special Education, 15, 297–310.
Mackler, J. (1996). A survivor’s guide to the principalship: Overcoming the challenges. NASSP Bulletin, 80, 84–89.
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981). Maslach burnout inventory (“Human Services Survey”). Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Mihalic, S. F., Fagan, A. F., & Argamoso, S. (2008). Implementing the LifeSkills training drug prevention program: Factors related to implementation fidelity. Implementation Science, 3, 5.
Nelson, J. R., Maculan, A., Roberts, M. L., & Ohlund, B. J. (2001). Sources of stress for teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 9, 123–130.
Phillips, S. J., Sen, D., & McNamee, R. (2007). Prevalence and causes of self-reported work related stress in head teachers. Occupational Medicine, 57, 367–376.
Phillips, S. J., Sen, D., & McNamee, R. (2008). Risk factors for work-related stress and health in head teachers. Occupational Medicine, 58, 584–586.
Pont B., Nusche D., & Moormann H. (2008). Improving school leadership. Volume 1: Policy and practice. www.sourceoecd.org/education/9789264044678 . Accessed 11 July 2012.
Rohrbach, L. A., Graham, J. W., & Hansen, W. B. (1993). Diffusion of a school-based substance abuse prevention program: Predictors of program implementation. Preventive Medicine, 22, 237–260.
Rowling, L., & Samdal, O. (2011). Filling the black box of implementation for health-promoting schools. Health Education, 111, 347–366.
Samdal, O., & Rowling, L. (2011). Theoretical and empirical base for implementation components of health-promoting schools. Health Education, 111, 367–390.
Schaarschmidt, U. (Ed.). (2005). Halbtagsjobber? Psychische Gesundheit von Lehrerinnen und Lehrern. Analyse eines veränderungsbedürftigen Zustands (2. Auflage). Weinheim: Beltz.
Scheerens, J., & Bosker, R. J. (1997). The foundations of educational effectiveness. Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd.
Tjomsland, H. E., Larsen, T. M. B., Viig, N. G., & Wold, B. (2009). A fourteen year follow-up study of health promoting schools in Norway: Principals’ perceptions of conditions influencing sustainability. The Open Educational Journal, 2, 54–64.
Townsend, T. (Ed.). (2007). International handbook of school effectiveness and improvement. Dordrecht: Springer.
Viig, N. G., & Wold, B. (2005). Facilitating teachers’ participation in school-based health promotion – A qualitative study. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 49, 83–109.
Viig, N. G., Fosse, E., Samdal, O., & Wold, B. (2011). Leading and supporting the implementation of the Norwegian Network of Health Promoting Schools. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research. doi:10.1080/00313831.2011.621139.
Warwas, J. (2009). Berufliches Selbstverständnis und Beanspruchung in der Schulleitung. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaften, 12, 475–498.
Weber, A., Weltle, D., & Lederer, P. (2005). Ill health and early retirement among school principals in Bavaria. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 78, 325–331.
Whitaker, K. S. (1992). Principal burnout and personality type: Do relationships exist? The Record in Educational Administration and Supervision, 14, 87–95.
Whitaker, K. S. (1996). Exploring causes of principal burnout. Journal of Educational Administration, 34, 60–71.
Wilde, B., Bahamondes-Pavez, C., Hinrichs, S., & Schüpbach, H. (2009). Gesundheit und Arbeitsbedingungen von Führungskräften auf der unteren und mittleren Hierarchieebene – Konsequenzen neuer Steuerungsformen. In GfA (Ed.), Arbeit, Beschäftigungsfähigkeit und Produktivität im 21. Jahrhundert (pp. 351–354). Dortmund: GfA Press.
Williamson, J., & Campbell, L. (1987). Stress in the principalship: What causes It? NASSP Bulletin, 71, 109–112.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dadaczynski, K., Paulus, P. (2015). Healthy Principals – Healthy Schools? A Neglected Perspective to School Health Promotion. In: Simovska, V., Mannix McNamara, P. (eds) Schools for Health and Sustainability. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9171-7_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9171-7_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-017-9170-0
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-9171-7
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)