ERIC Number: ED550748
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 235
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-1-2679-3578-6
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Teachers' Perceptions of Leadership in Young Children
Fox, Deborah Lee
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of New Orleans
The purpose of this research was to explore how teachers described, recognized, and would potentially influence leadership behaviors in children aged 4 to 6 years. One hundred thirty-three early childhood teachers and teachers of the gifted were surveyed using a researcher-designed instrument called the "Recognizing Leadership in Children (RLIC) Survey" to assess if teachers could recognize leadership from classroom scenarios that were based on actual classroom observations. As part of the survey, teachers wrote how they thought they might respond to the leadership scenarios. As there is a scarcity of literature concerning children's leadership, the results from this study contribute information to the field. Data from this study indicate that teachers describe child leaders most often as helpful and self-confident with good communication skills. Teachers generally recognize child leadership but recognize obvious leadership behaviors more often than subtle ones. Teachers are more likely to encourage child leadership when they recognize behaviors as leadership; they are more likely to respond to child leadership in a discouraging manner when they do not recognize the behaviors as leadership. Therefore, if teachers learn to recognize child leadership, they could be more supportive, thus creating more developmentally appropriate early childhood classrooms. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Teacher Attitudes, Leadership Training, Leadership, Young Children, Self Esteem, Teacher Surveys, Classroom Observation Techniques, Gifted, Interpersonal Communication, Communication Skills
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A