Teachers' Reports of Principal Influence to Promote Evidence-Based Instructional Practice.

摘要

This case study aimed to explore and describe the phenomenon of public school principal influence and teachers' use of evidence-based instructional strategies in their classrooms. The conceptual framework that guided this study was derived from Yukl's (2011) work on influence tactics. In Yukl's model (2011), specific behaviors, or influence tactics, are employed by agents in an attempt to gain targets' commitment to carry out a request or task. Yukl and Tracey (1992) described the tactics as "proactive influence behaviors likely to be relevant to a manager's effectiveness in influencing others" (p. 526). Through significant research, Yukl (2011) and others (Emans, Munduate, Klaver, & Van de Vliert, 2003; Fable & Yukl, 1992; Kipnis, Schmidt, & Wilkinson, 1980; Yukl, Fable, & Youn, 1993; Yukl, Guinan, & Sottolano, 1995; Yukl & Tracey, 1992) identified 11 influence tactics that agents or leaders use. They are: (a) rational persuasion, (b) apprising, (c) inspirational appeals, (d) consultation, (e) collaboration, (f) ingratiation, (g) personal appeal, (h) exchange, (i) coalition, (j) legitimating, and (k) pressure. The focus of this investigation was on the influence tactics principals employed to promote teachers' use of evidence-based instructional practices in their classrooms.;A two-method approach was used to answer the research questions; one hundred sixty-one teachers from seven northeastern school districts completed an Internet-based survey that included a researcher-modified version of the IBQ (Yukl, 2008). Eleven teachers participated in telephone interviews. Procedures associated with quantitative and qualitative research were used to analyze the data, which consisted of survey data and verbatim transcripts of the telephone interviews. This yielded 47 findings about principals' use of influence strategies to promote teachers' use of evidence-based instructional practices in their classrooms. Conclusions were drawn and recommendations for practice and future research are presented.;Study participants recognized principals' use of rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, legitimizing, and apprising on an intermittent basis when promoting teachers' use of evidence-based instructional strategies in the classroom. Importantly, participants perceived principals' provision of professional resources to be the predominant leadership behavior in promoting teachers' use of evidence-based instructional strategies in the classroom.