1

PERCEPTION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES PROFESSORS AND STAFF OF ADMINISTRATORS’ LEADERSHIP STYLE AND ADMINISTRATIVE COMPETENCIES AT SELECTED COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Simone A. Gardiner  William Allan Kritsonis, PhD

Dissertation Chair

A Dissertation Proposal

2

Dissertation Committee Members 

• Dr. William Allan Kritsonis Dissertation Chair• Dr. Patricia Hoffman-Miller• Dr. Edward Mason• Dr. Deborah Harris• Dr. Gbolahan Solomon Osho

Chapter 1

Background of the ProblemSince their establishment in 1901,

community colleges have grown into a unique educational system that have proven to be of vital importance not only to the communities they serve, but to the social, economic, and intellectual development of the United States (Sullivan, 2001).

4

Statement of the ProblemLimited research has been done

on leadership in academic departments. Within community colleges, chairpersons have the authority to make departmental decisions, but rarely does formal training exist for this position.

5

There is a need to study and focus on how the leadership styles among administrators at the community college level may be affected by perceptions of others. This focus will be through the eyes of deans, and chairpersons with close emphasis on their leadership styles and competence in leading community colleges in selected Texas community colleges.

6

Purpose of the StudyThe purpose of this conceptual

quantitative study is to determine if there is a difference in community colleges professor’s perception on administrative leadership style and competencies at selected community colleges.

7

The study will utilize the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) questionnaire and the data collected from each survey will be analyzed to ascertain both leadership styles and competencies of administrators. The study will further focus to determine if leadership style and competencies at these selected community colleges impacted student success.

8

Research QuestionsThe research questions guiding this study are as

follows:1. Is there a significant difference between

faculty and staff perception of administrators and self-evaluation of administrators?

2. Is there a significant difference between faculty and staff perception of administrators and self-evaluation of administrators’ based on gender?

3. Is there a significant difference between faculty and staff perception of administrators and self-evaluation of administrators’ based on ethnicity?

4. Is there a significant difference between faculty and staff perception of administrators and self-evaluation of administrators’ based on length of service?

9

Null Hypothesis

H01 - There is no statistical significant difference between faculty and staff perception of administrators and self-evaluation of administrators.

H02 - There is no statistical significant difference between faculty and staff perception of administrators and self-evaluation of administrators’ based on gender.

H03 - There is no statistical significant difference between faculty and staff perception of administrators and self-evaluation of administrators’ based on ethnicity.

H04 - There is no statistical significant difference between faculty and staff perception of administrators and self-evaluation of administrators’ based on length of service.

10

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical model to be used for this study will include the Augmentation Model of Transactional and Transformational Leadership.

11

Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between transactional and transformation leadership through the Augmentation Model developed by Avolio and Bass (2004).

Figure 1. Augmentation Model of Transactional and Transformation Leadership. Note. Adopted from Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Manual, by B. Avolio and B. Bass, 1995, p. 21. Copyright 1995, 2000, 2004 by Mind Garden, Inc. Reprint with Permission from the Mind Garden, Inc. on May 2, 2011

12

AssumptionsThe following assumptions will be in

relation to the research study:1. The respondents will understand the

instrument.2. The respondents will understand the

term for transactional and transformational leader.

3. The respondents will give thoughtful and honest response on the instrument.

13

DelimitationsThe study is delimited by the

responses of community college deans, college chairpersons, faculty and staff. This study can only be generalized to public community colleges.

14

LimitationsThe research from this study will

only be applicable to community college deans and chairpersons engaging in leadership.

15

Significance of the StudyThe purpose of this conceptual

quantitative study is to determine if there is a difference in community colleges professor’s perception on administrative leadership style and competencies at large community college system in Texas.

16

The research will be conducted on community college deans and chairpersons at the top level at a large community college system in Texas. There is limited research concerning leadership at the chairperson level.

17

Results from this study will provide community college administrators the ability to examine leadership styles and competencies and how these variables relate. Based on the findings of the study, community college professors, administrators and presidents will be provided with an insight on the various patterns and characteristics of effective leadership beginning at the presidential level at a large community college system in Texas.

18

The study will provide descriptive data and implications for greater understanding of the essential leadership characteristics that are relevant to student persistence, retention, and other success factors.

19

The results of this analysis will be important for administrators who are interested in increasing and improving their leadership characteristics in relation to student success outcomes.

20

The data will provide college administrators with the higher order of leadership styles that can be recognized as being transformational and innovative, thus contributing to effective organizational change and educational reform on student success.

21

CHAPTER II

22

Literature Review Addressing Community College Administrators The Transformation of Higher Education The Economic Engines for the Nation Diverse and Inclusiveness Meeting the Challenge of Student Completion An Investment towards Student Success Leadership Leadership Prospective Leadership Revitalized Leadership Theories Trait theory Behavioral Contingency theories Transformational Leadership Transformational Leadership Styles Division Chairs/Deans as Leaders

23

CHAPTER III

24

Research Design

The descriptive analyses for this study will include frequency and percentages for each item on the survey. Inferential analyses will include the chi-square to address the research questions

25

The variables in this study include administrators’ leadership style as the independent variable and administrative competencies at community college as the dependent variable. All collected data will be analyzed by using SPSS version 18.0 (SPSS, Inc., 2010).

26

ParticipantsThe target population for this

study will consist of community college deans, chairpersons’ faculty, and staff of four community colleges in Houston, Texas. The total number of participants will be approximately 1485 persons

27

SampleA random sample will be selected

from the target population. The random sample will consist of 80 community college administrators, 60 community college deans and chairpersons, and 100 faculty and staff members from all the community colleges in the study.

28

Sample continued…These four community colleges

are selected because of the large number of colleges within each segment. To help facilitate an optimal survey return rate, the researcher will contact the Presidents and Vice Chancellors of the Community Colleges to obtain approval.

29

Instrumentation

This research study will utilize the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) which includes three new components in leadership styles and behaviors. The MLQ instrument will be used to measure the leadership styles of the community college administrators based on a five-point Likert-scale representing the relative frequency of each behavior.

30

Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ)

The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) evaluates different leadership styles either from passive leaders to transactional leaders. Also it allows individuals to measure how they perceive themselves and with others perception.

31

A numerical value will be assigned for each of the responses as the following:

0 = Not at all; 1 = Once in a while; 2 = Sometimes; 3 = Fairly often; and 4 = Frequently, if not always.

32

The questionnaire will consists of 45 items that are classified into 12 subcategories and matched to the four leadership styles categories: transformational, transactional, laissez-faire, and augmentation of transformational with transactional leadership.

33

Reliability and ValidityThe Multifactor Leadership

Questionnaire is a well-established instrument rising to the key measure of Transformational Leadership as well as being extensively researched and validated. Avolio and Bass’s test manual shows strong evidence for reliability and validity; the MLQ has been used in over 300 research programs, doctoral dissertations, and master’s theses, along with several constructive outcomes for transformational leadership.

34

The ProcedureFollowing approval from the PVAMU

Institutional Review Board, a copy of the research proposal will be delivered to the Chancellors for the target population. The letter will summarized the theoretically frame work of the study and outlined the methodology and procedures to be used. The researcher will inform the chancellors that a copy of the results will be made available to them following the completion of the study.

35

Data AnalysisUpon receipt of the survey

instruments, the individual responses to the specific items related to the community college leader competencies will be entered into SPSS variable fields and the additional questions for the administrators, dean and chairpersons will be entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

36

All responses will be anonymous and will not be attached to an individual by name or to a community college. SPSS software version 18.0 will be used to analyze the data.

37

The types of statistical tests to be used will include the descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, standard deviation, range and correlation) and inferential statistics (independent t-tests, paired t-tests and Cronbach alpha reliability coefficients).

38

The Descriptive statistics will involve tabulating, depicting, and describing sets of data using frequency counts, averages, and graphs.

39

For this study, inferential statistics will be used to find out information for a population from the characteristics of a sample of the population. (Glass & Hopkins, 1996, p. 2-3)

40

Some ReferencesAntonakis, J., Avolio, B., &

Sivasubramaniam, N. (2003). Context and leadership: An examination of the nine-factor full-range leadership theory using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Leadership Quarterly, 14, 261-295.

Avolio, B. J., & Bass, B. M. (2004). Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (3rd ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Mind Garden, Inc

Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York, NY: Harper & Row

41

Cohen, A. M., & Brawer, F. B. (2003). The American community college (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Fraenkel, J.R. & Wallen, N. E. (2009). How to design and evaluate research in education. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.,

Glass, G. V., & Hopkins, K. D. (1996). Statistical methods in education and psychology (3rd

42

Lashway, L. (2002). Developing instructional leaders (ERIC Digest, 160). Retrieved from http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest160.html

Lumina Foundation for Education. (2010). Goal 2025. Available from www.luminafoundation.org/goal_2025/

Lunenburg, F. C., & Ornstein, A. A. (2004). Educational administration: Concepts and practices (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomason Learning, Inc. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

43

SPSS Inc. (2010). SPSS Base 18.0 for Windows User's Guide. SPSS Inc., Chicago IL.

Sullivan, L.G. (2001). Four generations of community college leadership. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 25(8), 559-571.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. (2008). Closing the gaps by 2015: Progress report. Retrieved from www.thecb.state.tx.us/Board/PressRelease.cfm

44

Uhl-Bien, M., Marion, R., & McKelvey, B. (2008). Complexity leadership theory: Shifting leadership from the industrial age to the knowledge era. In M. Uhl-Bien & R. Marion (Eds.), Complexity leadership: Part 1 conceptual foundations (pp. 185-224). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Thank You