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Does leadership matter?: the relationship of school leadership to a safe school climate,bullying, and fighting in middle school

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Date Issued:
2014
Summary:
The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a relationship between transformational principal leadership style, a safe school climate, and school safety (specifically, the number of reported fights and reported bullying incidents) in Broward County, Florida’s middle schools. This study also investigated if a relationship exists between transformational leadership and a safe school climate, transformational leadership, and the number of bullying incidents and student fights, and a safe school climate and the number of bullying incidents and student fights. The study surveyed 12 middle schools located in a large, urban district in south Florida. Principal leadership style was determined from the MLQ-5X, school safety climate was determined from the school district’s Annual Customer Survey, and the reported number of fights and bullying incidents recorded in the school district’s Discipline Management System were collected via records request for each participating middle school and tallied. Pearson correlations were conducted to examine the bivariate association between the leadership dimensions, a safe school climate, and school violence. Separate multiple linear regression models were used to examine the following relationships: leadership style and the number of reported fights and reported bullying incidents; leadership style and a safe school climate; and a safe school climate and the number of reported fights and reported bullying incidents. The findings suggested that there were no statistically significant correlations between leadership style (transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire), and bullying or fighting, and no statistically significant correlation between principal leadership style and middle school climate. There was a statistically significant correlation found between school climate and the number of student fights. The significance of this finding is important because it illustrates the adverse impact fighting has on student safety, which, in turn, adversely affects the school climate. Therefore, it is up to the school leader to create a climate where everyone feels safe can focus on student achievement.
Title: Does leadership matter?: the relationship of school leadership to a safe school climate,bullying, and fighting in middle school.
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Name(s): Leff, Jonathan M., author
Maslin-Ostrowski, Patricia, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
College of Education
Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2014
Date Issued: 2014
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 185 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a relationship between transformational principal leadership style, a safe school climate, and school safety (specifically, the number of reported fights and reported bullying incidents) in Broward County, Florida’s middle schools. This study also investigated if a relationship exists between transformational leadership and a safe school climate, transformational leadership, and the number of bullying incidents and student fights, and a safe school climate and the number of bullying incidents and student fights. The study surveyed 12 middle schools located in a large, urban district in south Florida. Principal leadership style was determined from the MLQ-5X, school safety climate was determined from the school district’s Annual Customer Survey, and the reported number of fights and bullying incidents recorded in the school district’s Discipline Management System were collected via records request for each participating middle school and tallied. Pearson correlations were conducted to examine the bivariate association between the leadership dimensions, a safe school climate, and school violence. Separate multiple linear regression models were used to examine the following relationships: leadership style and the number of reported fights and reported bullying incidents; leadership style and a safe school climate; and a safe school climate and the number of reported fights and reported bullying incidents. The findings suggested that there were no statistically significant correlations between leadership style (transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire), and bullying or fighting, and no statistically significant correlation between principal leadership style and middle school climate. There was a statistically significant correlation found between school climate and the number of student fights. The significance of this finding is important because it illustrates the adverse impact fighting has on student safety, which, in turn, adversely affects the school climate. Therefore, it is up to the school leader to create a climate where everyone feels safe can focus on student achievement.
Identifier: FA00004133 (IID)
Degree granted: Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Bullying in schools -- Prevention
Education, Secondary -- Sociological aspects
Educational leadership
Educational leadership
Middle school students -- Attitudes
Middle school teachers -- Attitudes
School management and organization
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Links: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004133
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004133
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.