Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Publication Date

9-10-2015

Abstract

This study examined the validity and reliability of the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS; Hallinger, 1985) for use among teachers in a rural school district. The problem addressed by this study was the need for a well-substantiated tool, which demonstrated reliable and valid assessments of principal leadership skills among elementary and secondary teachers. Measuring principal leadership behaviors is valuable and necessary for the on-going study of the phenomenon of effective school leadership. This was a study involving one rural, northern New Mexico school district, with an enrollment of approximately 4,000 students and a teacher population of 214. The survey was administered at a teacher staff meeting by the researcher and a research assistant. The participants were assured the anonymity and confidentiality of their responses and their ability to terminate participation at any time and for any reason without repercussion. The sample consisted of five elementary principals and 162 elementary and secondary teachers in a northern New Mexico school district. Descriptive statistics were calculated and correlation coefficients were estimated to analyze and examine the degree to which relationships existed between the teacher and principal demographics and the instructional leadership behaviors of principals. Results indicate a statistically significant relationship between the number of years the teacher has worked with the current principal and 9 out of 10 instructional behavior subcategories. There was also a statistically significant relationship between the years of experience teachers had and the teachers perception of the principals' instructional behaviors in coordinating curriculum, monitoring student progress, and providing incentives for teachers and students. In this study, I tested reliability by estimating Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient. Eight of the 10 functional subscales fell in the excellent range and two in the good range (George & Mallery, 2003). In Hallinger's (1983) original study, three of the 10 functional subscales fell in the excellent range and seven in the good range. I assessed construct validity and instrument validation by estimating the analysis of variance of each of the subscales. The results indicate a statistically significantly higher variation in the ratings by teachers between schools than within schools. Statistical significance exceeds the standard of .01 for nine of the 10 subscales. This suggests that the PIMRS possesses a high degree of construct validity based on the responses from the participants in this study. The results are similar to the findings from other studies (Hallinger, 1983; Hallinger, Taraseina, & Miller, 1994).'

Keywords

Educational Leadership, Instructional Leadership, PIMRS, Reliability, Validity, Rural, New Mexico, Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale, PIMRS

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Educational Leadership and Policy

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy

First Committee Member (Chair)

Allison M. Borden

Second Committee Member

Arlie Woodrum

Third Committee Member

Sheri Williams

Fourth Committee Member

David Bower

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