The purpose of this qualitative study was to construct a theoretical framework explaining the connection between principal leadership practices and the phenomenon of teacher morale. The study also focused on principal leadership practices and the perceived effects that style has on how teachers feel about themselves and their jobs. First, a review of extant literature defined what constitutes effective leadership in school related environments. Second, the researcher defined teacher morale, both high and low, and how it relates to work performance. Third, the researcher attempted to explore how teacher morale and the leadership style of their principals relate. This qualitative study was conducted using interviews of teachers from 7 public elementary schools. Post interview journaling was also conducted by the researcher to capture immediate author perspective. The teachers were interviewed to gain their perceptions of leadership practices that motivate them to enjoy their jobs and work beyond status quo. With information gleaned from teachers, the desired outcome of this research was for principals to self-evaluate their leadership strategies and style and to find importance in building high teacher morale for the betterment of everyone. The researcher coded transcripts into themes, patterns, and the following theoretical constructs: (a) change, (b) leadership practices, (c) mandated testing, (d) stress, (e) communication, (f) acknowledgment, (g) professionalism (h) identifying with teachers, and (i) building community.

Classroom teachers continue to be an integral component to the success of any school and to the success of its students. Numerous studies indicate that the morale level of teachers can have an impact on their effectiveness in the classroom. Furthermore, the leadership of the school principal can shape the culture of any school and thus have a direct impact on teacher morale. This study sought to determine if a relationship exists between self-reported morale of school teachers and perceived leadership style of high school principals. Additionally, the study attempted to determine if a relationship exists between self-reported morale of school teachers and perceived leadership style of school principals with regard to the teacher’s experience level. The study was framed by Maslow’s theory of human motivation, which describes a hierarchy of needs where ones most basic needs must be met before moving on to the next level of needs. The research hypotheses were evaluated using a standard multiple linear regression analysis. Results of the study suggest that there is no significant, predictive relationship between teacher morale and a linear combination of principal leadership style and years of experience in education. Recommendations for future research include replication studies using a larger sample population, different educational settings, or a qualitative approach.

Teachers comprise the greatest professional population of a school; they have the most contact with students; and they have perhaps the greatest influence on school climate. For this reason, teacher morale is a topic of great concern to public school administrators. Moreover, research suggests that poor teacher morale negatively affects student performance just as high teacher morale positively affects student performance. Research also indicates that teacher morale is influenced more by the leadership style of the principal than any other single factor. This study was designed to determine whether certain relationships exist between teacher morale and the following independent variables: (1) principal trust and (2) leadership satisfaction. Additionally, investigations were conducted to determine whether the aforementioned independent variables lead to increased student achievement. Information regarding teacher morale was collected from 65 teachers using the 2009 MDed - Multi Dimensional Education Incorporated (MDed) Survey at three 7-8 Initiative schools in a large suburban district in southeast Texas. It was the intent of this study to determine whether principal leadership and teacher morale are significantly correlated. The study also demonstrated whether or not teachers' and principals' perceptions of leadership behaviors contribute to student achievement. vi After analyzing the data, it was found that principal leadership behaviors do significantly impact teacher morale, and student achievement. Additionally, it was found that positive teacher morale and student achievement in the Initiative Schools influenced positive student behaviors, ultimately reducing student discipline referrals. Multiple interventions were put into place that led to the positive outcomes. The interventions, new principal leadership, ongoing intensive staff development, establishment of small learning communities, reduction of student population and low student to teacher class ratios, were the catalysts that lead to the Initiative Schools' transformational success, a transformation of high teacher morale, increased student achievement, and positive student behaviors.

Author's abstract: In this era of increased accountability and increased pressure to improve our public schools, elementary school leaders, working to meet the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, are focusing on developing effective leadership behaviors as they face the complex challenges of meeting organizational goals within their elementary schools and maintaining or increasing staff satisfaction. Leadership behavior has long been of interest in industry, business, military, and the government; on the whole, research shows that focusing on social factors such as morale, group interaction, and supportive relationships has a strong effect on productivity and success. The literature suggests that a relationship exists between leadership behavior and staff morale and job satisfaction. It hypothesizes that principals who consciously practice transformational leadership behaviors have a positive impact on the morale and productivity of their teachers. This study explores the soundness of the hypothesis and provides data for school leaders who strive to develop innovative leadership styles that will empower their teachers and improve morale. This study was conducted to determine if a statistically significant relationship exists between the principals perceived leadership behaviors and teachers morale. The two questionnaires used were the Excellent Principal Inventory and the Purdue Teacher Opinionnaire. Leadership behavior clearly impacts teacher morale, and a positive relationship between leadership behavior and teacher morale is evident in several areas. These findings support that teacher morale can be predicted on the basis of the leadership style asserted by the principal. Principals who use a participatory style of leadership are more likely to have more satisfied and productive teachers than principals who use an autocratic style of leadership.

Industry, business, military and other government agencies are increasingly recognizing the significance of human factors in the productivity of complex organizations. Educational institutions are no exception to this fact. It is assumed that morale and productivity are related to the managerial style of the supervisor. Leaders are faced with the challenge of directing the work group toward the target of increased productivity while at the same time maximizing member satisfaction. The basic research problem of this study was to investigate the relationship between leadership style of high school principals (in terms of their Concern for Production and Concern for People) and certain dimensions of teacher morale. The null hypothesis which guided this study was that there was no significant relationship between teacher perceptions of administrative behavior and teacher morale. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 132 teachers from ten high schools in the state of Oregon. The results are based on 126 returns, 90 male and 36 female respondents. Principal Leadership Style Questionnaire was used to measure two dimensions (Concern for People and Concern for Production) of administrative behavior. Purdue Teacher Opinionaire was used to measure ten factors of teacher morale. All hypotheses were tested at .05 level of confidence. The first primary hypothesis asserting that there would be no partial correlation between administrative dimensions and Teacher Rapport with Principal was rejected. The second primary hypothesis that there would be no partial correlation between administrative dimensions and Satisfaction with Teaching was accepted. Partial correlation was 4ppliedto analyze the primary hypotheses by eliminating the effects of secondary hypotheses (Rapport Among Teachers, Teacher Salary, Teacher Load, Curriculum Issues, Teacher Status, Community Support of Education, School Facilities, Community Pressures, Age and Sex). T-test based on regression coefficients was applied to analyze the secondary hypotheses. Out of 20 secondary hypotheses tested, five of them were rejected. Analysis of the primary and secondary hypotheses concluded that Curriculum Issues, Rapport with Principal and Teacher Salary are positively related to both the dimensions of administrative behavior. Rapport Among Teachers was positively related to Concern for People but not Production. Satisfaction with Teaching, Teacher Load, Teacher Status, Community Support of Education, School Facilities and Services, Community Pressures, Age and Sex of the teachers are not related to the perceived leadership style of the principal. Teachers Satisfaction with Teaching is probably related mostly to those things that happen directly with pupils inside the classroom over which principals have little influence. Results of the two administrative dimensions indicated that a principal's leadership behavior is perceived by his faculty in various ways. However, on the average, administrators were rated high on both the "Production" and "People" dimensions of administrative behavior and perceived as having a "6,7" or "7,8" leadership style as described by Blake and Mouton (1964). Analysis of this research further suggest that educational administrators investigated in this study seem to have above average skills in the eyes of their faculty in promoting both goal achievement and member satisfaction. It is recommended that the design of this study be replicated on a larger teacher population and sample size in different geographical areas.