Leadership Styles of Technology Directors and Readiness for Technology Implementation

Aaron Esper, Purdue University

Abstract

Leadership style research spans many areas both inside and outside of education. This study sought to add to that research by looking at the leadership of technology directors in education. This population was targeted because gaps in student abilities versus performance needs have only expanded over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and the number of teachers available to meet those needs has decreased in many areas. To address this need, technology has been increasingly the source that administrators are turning to in an attempt to do more with less. The question that arises from this is simple: how ready are teachers to use new technologies to meet those needs? There are many factors that may impact this, but a key one this study seeks to answer is how the interactions between a technology director and teachers impacts their readiness to do that. Leadership styles were collected using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and teacher readiness was collected using a modified version of the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SOCQ). Basic demographic data were also created to see if setting of a school or generational age of the participants impacted the results. SOCQ measures of central tendency were compared via MLQ scores and showed no results significant enough to support a connection between these measures. Small sample size was a major issue for this analysis and likely had a significant impact on these findings.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

McInerney, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Educational technology|Management

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