Exploring Perspectives of Flawed Leadership through Lived Experiences of Public Secondary School Teachers

摘要

Teachers, who are exposed to flawed leadership practices by a principal, suffer debilitating effects, including physical and psychological manifestations. This in turn influences teaching and learning in the classroom and negatively affects student achievement. The problem of this study was the issue of principals' flawed leadership practices in the workplace that are perceived hurtful by the teacher and inflict damage, ultimately resulting in severe adverse effects on the learning environment in schools. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the narratives of secondary school teachers at a Texas public school district with regard to flawed leadership practices by a principal. Data were gathered from 12 secondary school teachers, by use of telephone interviews, and then analyzed according to the modified Van Kaam method. The participants were prescreened regarding having experienced flawed leadership practices by a principal. The results of this qualitative phenomenological study produced two categories of information consisting of 15 themes relating to flawed leadership in schools. The first category which comprised the first 10 themes, depicted the identified actions of a principal that were deemed hurtful by teacher and were causal to the second category. The second category described the resulting effects of flawed leadership practices by a principal. The study concluded that flawed leadership practices by a principal are positively correlated with decreased job satisfaction by teachers and in extreme or prolonged cases lead to an intent to leave their job or the education profession.