Purpose: Efficacy has been broadly analyzed and explored in depth in various fields. However, in the field of educational leadership, empirical studies and research evidence are weak. The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a new School Leaders' Self-Efficacy Scale (SLSES). Design/methodology/approach: Two studies were undertaken. In…

Purpose: Research, spanning half a century, points to the critical role of school administration and to the successful implementation of US government policies and programs. In part these findings reflect the times and a US educational governance system characterized by local control, a constitutionally-constrained federal government,…

Describes a databased taxonomy of behaviors that elementary and secondary school teachers use to cope with both internally and externally derived work stress, considers the effectiveness of such behaviors, discusses methods for preparing teachers for working conditions, and points out the value of the taxonomy for future research. (PGD)

Using surveys of the professional staffs of 41 secondary schools, this study examines the relationship between two aspects of bureaucratic structure (centralization and formalization) and two sorts of alienation (from work and expressive relations). It then compares the results with similar studies of social studies of social welfare agencies. (JW)

Purpose: This paper seeks to describe the Swedish compulsory school system and explore a hypothesis about the relationship between structure, culture and leadership as preconditions for successful principalship. Design/methodology/approach: On the basis of earlier research, argues that a principal's success depends on how he or she alters school…

Research in educational administration needs a coherent empirical base for a comprehensive, ecologically valid theory of administration. This paper describes Roger Barker's Behavior Setting Theory and promotes it as a broad-based conceptual framework for research on educational administration. (Author/TE)

The Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (OCDQ), modified by Thomas and Slater for use in South Australian schools in 1970, was based on four factors (rather than the original eight): principal supportiveness or operations emphasis and teacher disaffiliation or intimacy. A recent study in New South Wales has validated this four-factor…

After summarizing research into the sources and correlates of teacher stress, this article defines and proposes a model of work-related stress in school, incorporating current concepts and research findings. Strategies for coping with the buildup of environmental stressors are developed for application at various administrative levels within the…

The effects on principals in South Australia of Human Achievement Skills training, aimed at developing interpersonal, human relations, and personnel management skills, were measured by conducting interviews with trainees and staff members 3 months after training and by obtaining responses to organizational climate questionnaires before and after…