Views on administrative leadership in remote K-12 school settings

ABSTRACT

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the American school system into various forms of distance learning, remote learning schools were a small but growing segment of the educational system within the United States. This causal-comparative quantitative study examined demographic variables to assess differences in K-12 teachers' views of their administrator's leadership skills in remote school settings. The sample population of credentialed California public charter school teachers (n = 449) completed the Adapted Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) about the leadership abilities of their remote working administrator. Transformational leadership served as the theoretical foundation of this study though transactional and laissez-faire leadership were included. The literature review identified significant research on transformational leadership within K-12 education and leadership in remote or virtual workplaces. However, a gap in the literature exists on leadership in remote K12 school settings. No prior studies explored teacher demographics' role in impacting teacher views of their remote school administrator. Research methods included statistical analysis using t-test, Mann-Whitney, and ANOVA statistical tests. Study results found that neither teacher gender nor race nor years of experience as a teacher made a statistically significant difference (p < .05) in how teachers view their administrator. The application of findings recommends additional research on different demographics using different sample populations. Implications from the research include increasing the preparation and professional development of educators desiring to work in remote school environments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)