The Relationship Between Middle School Principals Use of the Dimensions of Distributed Leadership and Teachers

Link: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2268

Author: George Lathan Marek Marshall

Degree: Doctor of Education

Institution: Liberty University

Year: 2019

Analyze and present by: Punnarat Chinnapha, Ph.D.
Student ID: 244511003

Abstract

The study explores how distributed leadership – a model emphasizing shared responsibility – impacts teacher engagement in middle school settings. Using a quantitative correlational and causal-comparative design, the research employs the Distributed Leadership Readiness Scale (DLRS) to assess four key dimensions: mission, vision, and goals; leadership practices; school culture; and shared responsibility.

Findings reveal a significant positive relationship between teacher engagement and principals' use of distributed leadership, though no significant differences were found across grade levels. Strengths of the study include a robust theoretical framework and validated measurement tools, while limitations involve regional focus, reliance on self-reported data, and lack of longitudinal analysis.

This dissertation contributes to educational leadership research, offering insights for school administrators on fostering collaborative decision-making through distributed leadership.

Keywords: distributed leadership, middle school principals, teacher engagement, shared leadership, educational leadership, decision-making, DLRS.

Research Questions

1. RQ1: What is the relationship between middle school principals' use of distributed leadership practices and teacher engagement in the decision-making process?
2. RQ2: Do middle school teachers' perceptions of their engagement in decision-making differ based on the principals’ use of distributed leadership practices?

 

Hypotheses

For RQ1:

• H₀: There is no significant relationship between middle school principals' use of distributed leadership practices and teacher engagement in decision-making.
• H₁ : There is a significant positive relationship between middle school principals' use of distributed leadership practices and teacher engagement in decision-making.

For RQ2:

• H₀: There is no significant difference in middle school teachers' perceptions of their engagement based on the principals’ use of distributed leadership practices.
• H₁: There is a significant difference in middle school teachers' perceptions of their engagement based on the principals’ use of distributed leadership practices.

 

Research Design

This study employs a quantitative correlational and causal-comparative design to examine the relationship between middle school principals' use of distributed leadership and teacher engagement in decision-making. The correlational approach investigates the strength and direction of relationships between distributed leadership practices and teacher engagement, while the causal-comparative approach explores differences in teacher perceptions across various grade levels.

 

Population and Sample

The target population comprises middle school teachers from a selected school district in South Carolina. A convenience sampling approach is used to select participants based on accessibility and willingness to participate. Initially, 101 teachers were surveyed, but after data screening, a final sample of 60 teachers was retained for analysis. The sample includes teachers from grades 6, 7, and 8, ensuring representation across different teaching levels.

 

Instrumentation

The primary data collection instrument is the Distributed Leadership Readiness Scale (DLRS), which consists of four key dimensions: 1) Mission, Vision, and Goals; 2) Leadership Practices; 3) School Culture; and 4) Shared Responsibility.

The survey consists of 40 items (5-point Likert scale). The DLRS has a Cronbach’s alpha ranging from .84 to .92, indicating high reliability​.

The independent variable from this study is middle school principal use of distributed leadership practices utilizing the four dimensions of the distributed leadership model. The dependent variable for this study is teacher responses to distributed leadership practices by middle school principals, as measured by teachers’ responses to the DLRS.

 

Statistical Data Analysis Methods

The study employs descriptive and inferential statistical methods to analyze the data:

1. Descriptive Statistics: Mean, standard deviation, and frequency distributions summarize the dataset.
2. Pearson’s Correlation Analysis: Measures the strength and direction of the relationship between distributed leadership and teacher engagement.
3. One-Way ANOVA: Examines differences in teacher perceptions of distributed leadership across grade levels (6th, 7th, 8th, and multiple grades).
4. Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test: Assesses data normality before applying statistical tests.
5. Levene’s Test for Homogeneity of Variance: Ensures variance consistency across groups before ANOVA testing.

 

Findings

The findings of this study provide strong empirical support for the positive relationship between middle school principals' use of distributed leadership practices and teacher engagement in decision-making. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.8445, p < .001), indicating that as principals implement distributed leadership, teacher engagement in shared decision-making increases substantially. The effect size (r² = 71.3%) suggests that a considerable portion of teacher engagement can be attributed to distributed leadership practices, emphasizing the importance of collaborative leadership in fostering a more engaged teaching workforce.

 

Scatterplot of the relationship between the Leadership variable (Principal’s Use of Distributed Leadership) and the Teacher variable (Teacher’s Engagement).

 

Furthermore, the ANOVA analysis tested whether teachers’ perceptions of distributed leadership varied across different grade levels with the results are as follows:

• Leadership Practices: No statistically significant difference was found across grade levels F(3, 55) = 0.265, p = .85.
• Mission, Vision, and Goals: No significant difference F(3, 55) = 0.807, p = .50.
• School Culture: No significant difference F(3, 55) = 0.098, p = .96.
• Shared Responsibility: No significant difference F(3, 55) = 0.193, p = .90​.

This suggests that distributed leadership has a uniform impact across all teaching levels, reinforcing the idea that leadership strategies focused on shared decision-making can be effectively applied across the entire middle school framework, rather than being tailored to specific grade levels.

In conclusion, the study's findings lead to two key insights. First, the null hypothesis (H01) was rejected, confirming that there is a strong and statistically significant relationship between distributed leadership and teacher engagement. This supports the notion that school administrators who actively distribute leadership responsibilities can create a more collaborative and engaged educational environment. Second, the null hypothesis (H02) was not rejected, indicating that teacher perceptions of distributed leadership do not significantly differ based on grade level, suggesting that distributed leadership practices are equally effective across the middle school spectrum. These findings highlight the importance of implementing leadership strategies that foster shared responsibility and collaboration at all levels, reinforcing the role of school leaders in cultivating an inclusive decision-making culture.

 

Strengths and Weaknesses

This study has several strengths that contribute to its validity and relevance in the field of educational leadership. One of its key strengths is its strong theoretical foundation, as it is based on Spillane’s Distributed Leadership Theory, which provides a well-established framework for analyzing how leadership is shared within middle school settings. Additionally, the study utilizes a validated measurement tool, the Distributed Leadership Readiness Scale (DLRS), ensuring reliability in assessing leadership practices and their influence on teacher engagement. The statistical analysis is robust, employing Pearson’s correlation and ANOVA, both of which are appropriate methods for examining relationships and differences between variables. Furthermore, the research holds practical significance, as it demonstrates that distributed leadership positively impacts teacher engagement and shared decision-making, offering valuable insights for school administrators. Another notable strength is that the study finds no significant differences in leadership perception across different grade levels, reinforcing the idea that distributed leadership is effective throughout the middle school framework.

Despite its contributions, the study has several limitations that should be considered. One significant weakness is the small sample size, as the final usable sample consisted of only 60 teachers after data screening. A small sample reduces the statistical power of the study, potentially limiting the generalizability of the findings to broader educational settings. Additionally, the study was conducted within a single school district in South Carolina, further restricting its applicability to other regions or school systems with different leadership structures and school cultures. The use of convenience sampling introduces potential bias, as participants were selected based on accessibility rather than random selection, which may not provide a fully representative view of middle school teachers' experiences with distributed leadership. Another limitation is the reliance on self-reported data, which means that teacher responses may be influenced by personal perceptions, biases, or social desirability, rather than objective measures of leadership effectiveness. The cross-sectional design of the study captures data at one point in time, preventing an analysis of long-term effects or causal relationships between distributed leadership and teacher engagement. Furthermore, the research focuses entirely on quantitative methods, lacking qualitative insights such as interviews or focus groups, which could have provided a richer understanding of how distributed leadership is experienced in schools.

Despite these limitations, the study provides valuable empirical evidence on the role of distributed leadership in fostering teacher engagement. The findings highlight the importance of collaborative leadership strategies in middle schools. To strengthen future research, it would be beneficial to increase the sample size, expand the study to multiple school districts, incorporate qualitative methods, and adopt a longitudinal approach to assess the long-term impact of distributed leadership on school effectiveness.