PERCEIVED EFFECTIVENESS, EFFICIENCY AND NEED DISPOSITION OF NEW YORK SUBURBAN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT HEADS
Abstract
The major purposes of this study were to analyze and compare: (a) the responses of suburban public high school principals, department heads and teachers with respect to their perceptions of the effectiveness of the administrative and supervisory behaviors of the department heads, as measured by the Supervisory Activity Scale; (b) the responses of the department heads classified according to their composite effectiveness scores as most effective, moderately effective and low effective with respect to their perceptions of their efficiency in their administrative and supervisory behavior; and (c) the responses of the department heads classified according to their composite effectiveness scores as most effective, moderately effective and low effective with respect to their perceptions concerning their need dispositions, as measured by the Educational Work Components Study Questionnaire. Moreover, the study sought to examine the interrelationships among each of the variables of effectiveness, efficiency and need disposition of the department heads as reported by themselves and effectiveness of the department heads as reported by the principals and teachers. The sample for this study consisted of 36 principals, 36 department heads and 108 teachers randomly selected from public high schools located in Nassau and Westchester counties of New York State. The study was conducted in the fall of 1978. The following major conclusions seemed warranted on the basis of the findings of this study: (1) The department heads were uniformly rated as less effective by each group for their supervisory behaviors than for their administrative behaviors. In resolving conflicts among the nomothetic expectations held by the principals, teachers and themselves, the department heads seemed to have chosen either to follow their own expectations or, in some instances, to modify them in favor of those of the principals. (2) The department heads tended to rate those factors included in the motivation needs higher than those included in the hygiene or risk propensity needs. Regardless of their level of effectiveness, the primary need of the department heads was to achieve satisfaction through personal growth in their role set. (3) The efficiency of the department heads was not completely explained by differences in effectiveness. The idiographic dimension was found to be the substantive influence in the determination of the social behavior of the department heads. (4) The higher the level of education of the department head, the better the teachers rated his/her supervisory effectiveness. (5) The social systems model proposed by Getzels, et al. (1968) provided an accurate model for the interpretation and understanding of the organizational behavior of these department heads in the schools. The following recommendation seemed warranted on the basis of the conclusions of this study: (1) There is need for regular and structured feedback from the principals concerning the performance of the department head, concerning the supervisory behaviors. The feedback should be based upon clearly delineated and mutually agreed upon behaviors if strengths are to be encouraged and weaknesses eliminated.
Subject Area
School administration
Recommended Citation
CLARKE, ISAIAH (MATTHEW) BERKLEY, "PERCEIVED EFFECTIVENESS, EFFICIENCY AND NEED DISPOSITION OF NEW YORK SUBURBAN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT HEADS" (1980). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8020980.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8020980
