The influence of school principals’ communication styles on experienced teachers’ job satisfaction

Research 2 - The influence of school principals’ communication styles on experienced teachers’ job satisfaction

Researcher Name: Mull, Markethia (2020)

Research Objective: 

In recent years, there has been a large number of teachers leaving education due to a variety of reasons such as - low pay, lack of support from principals, student motivation, and student disciplinary issues. The purpose of this study is to find if there is a correlation between the effectiveness of communication of school administration and the effectiveness of teachers, specifically teachers who have a wealth of experience. 

Communication within a school setting is important to ensure that all stakeholders understand the school's vision and mission and different policies within the school.  Principals are vital personnel in a school setting, setting the culture for the school. A principal can, through communication, change the dynamics within the school, provide cohesiveness, and create a positive learning and working environment. An effective principal with strong communication skills can be an essential player in a school's social environment by providing the necessary support and resolving conflicts. 

Experienced teachers are an important asset to schools as they provide quality education to their students. Their wealth of knowledge is invaluable as no amount of education can replace years of experience. The younger generation of teachers would also benefit from the mentorship and guidance that experienced teachers can provide. Therefore, it is important to understand if there is a relationship between effective leadership, specifically communication skills, and job satisfaction among experienced teachers.

Sampling design: 

The participants chosen were of the below criteria:

• Public elementary schools, in a K-12 setting in the Southern region of the United States of America. 

• Had to have more than 5 years teaching experience.

• Had obtained the “State Board of Educators Certification”.

• No gender specification.

• No racial specification.

The initial sampling size was 15-20 participants. The sampling was based on the Saturation method which is a common way of determining final size by collecting data until all data becomes redundant or until no new data emerges. 

The method used to collect samples (participants) was ‘Linear Snowball Sampling via Chain Referral Network. This was completed in 2 stages:

Stage 1 - two initial participants

Stage 2 - two initial participants recommend other participants

Measurement design: 

The researcher utilized the ‘Motivating Language Theory (MLT) and the ‘Motivating Language Scale’ (MLS) as a research theory to conduct the research. 

MLT is a theory developed by J. Sullivan in 1998 as a framework to study effective communication specifically from leaders to followers. Within this framework, the most effective leaders combine three types of languages in their communication - direction-giving (perlocutionary), emotional-sharing (illocutionary), and meaning-making (locutionary). 

The researcher's main focus was on qualitative research as it is a descriptive theory that would support date and guide the research. The qualitative research was felt to be more fitting to this research as it would gain valuable insights into real-life situations and current phenomena. It would allow teachers' viewpoints to be heard and bring meaning to the different experiences. 

Quantitative research was present only as a backup to identify and analyze whether there were patterns or trends within the research participants. 

The research was conducted in two phases - (1) a survey questionnaire using survey monkey and (2) face-to-face interviews. The participants were anonymous and/or used pseudonyms to allow them to speak freely without concerns of repercussions to their current positions. 

The questions that allowed for qualitative descriptive research in the questionnaire were:

RQ1. How does the principal communicate with the teacher on a daily and weekly basis?

RQ2. How does the principal’s communication influence the teacher’s job satisfaction?

RQ3. How does the principal’s communication motivate the teacher in terms of influencing job satisfaction? 

The responses of both the questionnaire and and face-to-face interviews could be analyzed into the following categories:

1. Cause of communication - in what context was communication made.

2. Types of communication - was the communication done in verbal, written, or electronic form.

3. Specifics of the communication - what topic was discussed.

4. Immediate outcomes - the thoughts and feelings of the participants immediately after the communication.

5. Future outcomes - whether the communication left a lasting impression on the participants.

Statistical design: 

The qualitative descriptive case study utilized the Motivating Language Scale (MLS), the critical incident technique (CIT), and Yin’s 5-step model for data analysis to analyze the collected data from the questionnaires and interviews.

Questionnaire - The responses to the questionnaires were compiled in the database and analyzed using the MLS. The first three steps of Yin’s 5-step model were used to guide the disassembling and reassembling of the information, and the MLS statements were used to help sort the information into patterns to discover additional emergent categories themes.  

Interview - The interviews were recorded and transcribed and then imported into NVivo for Windows 10. The same process used in the questionnaire was also used in analyzing data in the interviews.

Open coding was also utilized to find the different/same categories and themes that emerged from the data in the questionnaire and interviews. It was then later used for the triangulation of data - demographic information such as gender and years of experience. 

Findings: 

From the research, fourteen key words were highlighted - clarity, conversations, engagement, expectations, interpersonal skills, learning environment, meetings, message, norms, recognition, styles and practices, talk and walk, work environment, and planning.

RQ1. How does the principal communicate with the teacher on a daily and weekly basis?

It was found that ‘direction-giving’ language was the dominant act of communication and was either verbal or written depending on the nature of the information, however, verbal communication was generally used in emergency and routine situations. 

RQ2. How does the principal’s communication influence the teacher’s job satisfaction?

It was found that the way the Principal communicates plays a significant role in the positive or negative influence of teachers’ job satisfaction. It was also found that other factors influence teachers’ job satisfaction, such as:

• Relevant,  meaningful, and respectful; 

• Clear, concise, and empathetic;

• Conversational and involve meetings for team planning purposes;

• Used to invite feedback and demonstrate active listening:

• Congruent with leadership style and practices. 

RQ3. How does the principal’s communication motivate the teacher in terms of influencing job satisfaction? 

From the findings, the teachers conferred that the most effective leaders combine three types of languages in their communication - direction-giving (perlocutionary), emotional-sharing (illocutionary), and meaning-making (locutionary). The participants reported that the elements that influenced their job satisfaction were when the Principal provided them with a sense of belonging, made them feel welcomed and appreciated, and showed them gratitude. These elements did not necessarily need to be spoken, but body language and action were also significant. The participants expressed that they felt a boost in morale when the Principal asked wholly about their well-being. 

In summary, the data supported the hypothesis that teachers’ job satisfaction depended greatly on the nurturing, support, and professional communication from the Principals. The participants felt, that when principals effectively communicate using the Motivating Language Theory, it heightens motivation and job satisfaction.

Limitations: 

1. Lack of certified, experienced elementary school teachers - with over 19,000 certified teachers in the Southern USA, a total of 18 participants contributed to this study. 0.10 % does not reflect on the effectiveness of the study as a whole. 

2. Limited access to participants - participants had to be recruited and were dependent on the chain referral network. 

3. Lack of truthfulness and accuracy - participants might not be accurate in their recalling of events and might write according to what they think is wanted.

4. Perception of Questions - each participant may perceive each question differently, giving an inaccurate answer which may affect the findings. 

5. Current bad experiences are more likely to be willing to participate in the study - some participants may have experienced a negative experience and therefore, focused on the negative even though there may be positive communicative experience.