Leadership Studies Ed.D. Dissertations

Prioritizing others: an exploration of instructional coaches' servant leadership behaviors and teacher well-being

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Julia Matuga (Committee Chair)

Second Advisor

Joseph Furgal (Committee Member)

Third Advisor

Paul Johnson (Committee Member)

Fourth Advisor

Amanda Ricketts (Committee Member)

Fifth Advisor

Chris Willis (Committee Member)

Abstract

This study explored teachers’ perceptions of the servant leadership behaviors of instructional coaches. Additionally, the study examined teacher well-being measured as teachers’ feelings of school connectedness and teaching efficacy. The participants were teachers (N = 72) from three public school districts in the southern United States. Participants were asked to complete the Servant Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ) (Linden et al., 2008) and the Teacher Subjective Well-being Questionnaire (TSWQ) (Renshaw, 2020). The study used a between-groups, 2x2x2 ANOVA to determine if significant mean differences existed between perceptions of servant leadership behaviors of instructional coaches and years in education, years working at the current school district, and years with an instructional coach. Similarly, a between-groups, 2x2x2 ANOVA was used to determine if significant mean differences existed between teaching efficacy and years in education, years working at the current school district, and years with an instructional coach. Another between-groups, 2x2x2 ANOVA was used to determine if significant mean differences existed between teachers’ school connectedness and years in education, years working at the current school district, and years with an instructional coach. Finally, multiple regression was used to determine if the perceived servant leadership behaviors of instructional coaches are predictive of teachers’ school connectedness and teaching efficacy. Findings indicated that time (measured by years) plays a role in how teachers perceive their instructional coach’s servant leadership behaviors. While no main effects were found, there was a significant interaction between total years of experience and the years in the current school district. The study also found no significant mean differences between teachers’ feeling of school connectedness and teaching efficacy, total years of experience, years in the current school district, and years working with an instructional coach. Findings from the multiple regression analysis suggested that higher levels of school connectedness may predict more positive perceptions of servant leadership behaviors of instructional coaches.

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