Candidate: David A. Barry

Degree of: Doctor of Education

Department: Teaching, Learning and Leadership

Title: Job Satisfaction and Leadership Style: A Study of Michigan High School Principles

Committee:
Dr. Van Cooley, Chair
Dr. Cheryle Crawford
Dr. Katharine Cummings

Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
3504 Sangren Hall

Abstract:
Because of the difficulty in filling positions as a result of the job demands, the preliminary analysis of this study in regard to principals' job satisfaction reveals some significant results as it relates to leadership style. Given the magnitude of importance to the role of the school principal, it is important to understand some of the job satisfaction factors related to the retention of current school principals.

Therefore, the purpose of this study focuses only on the retention of current principals by analyzing the job satisfaction of Michigan high school principals and examining the relationship to the principal's leadership style. This study incorporates correlation research methods and survey procedures which includes a self-administered questionaire by the principal.

The subjects for this study were randomly selected from the target population of all Michigan high school principals who were employed in one of the public high schools in Michigan during the 2002-2002 school year. From a random sample, a total of 403 Michigan high school principals received the surveys with 173 principals responding.

First, in regard to job satisfaction, the study reveals that with Michigan high school principals, the relationship between gender and job satisfaction with promotion males tended to be more satisfied with their promotion ability than females and principals in Class A schools had a higher satisfaction with promotion than those in smaller schools. Overall, male principals in class B high schools had greater job satisfaction than principals in class C high schools and the relationship between job satisfaction with pay and with work suggested that those principals who were paid more also were more satisfied with their work.

Second, in regard to leadership style, the study reveals that principals in class A high school scored significantly higher in transformational leadership than principals in class C high schools. Likewise, principals between the ages of 46 to 55 as well as between the ages of 56 to 65 had a greater Individualized Consideration for others than those between the ages of 36 to 45.

Third, in regard to the relationship between job satisfaction and leadership style, the study reveals that a principal's job satisfaction with work increased when the principal's leadership style was high in Inspirational Motivation (IM), Individualized Consideration (IC), Iealized Influence (IC), and Intellectual Stimulation (IS) (which are the transformational leadership styles) and low in Management by Exception (MBE) and Laizze-Faire (LF) (which are primarily the transactional leadership styles)

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