How principals and superintendents view the principal's role in recruitment and selection of staff

• Main Author: Pond, James Wayne
• Other Authors: Memorial University of Newfoundland. Faculty of Education
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 1985
• Subjects: Teachers > Newfoundland and Labrador > Selection and appointment; School principals > Newfoundland and Labrador; Principal-superintendent relationships; School personnel management > Newfoundland and Labrador; Canada; Newfoundland; Newfoundland studies; University of Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/theses2/id/36346

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1985. Education Bibliography: leaves 93-95. This study examined the elementary principal’s role in the recruitment and selection dimensions of staff personnel services. More specifically, it addressed questions regarding: -- 1. What is the principal’s perception of his actual and desired role in recruitment and selection? -- 2. What differences, if any, exist between the principal’s actual and desired role in recruitment and selection? - 3. What is the superintendent's perception of the actual and desired role of his principals in recruitment and selection? - 4. What differences, if any, exist between the superintendent's perception of the actual and desired role of the principal in recruitment and selection? -- 5. What differences, if any, exist between perceptions held by principals and superintendents for the desired role of the principal in recruitment and selection? -- Data were collected by means of a questionnaire administered to principals and superintendents. Items of the questionnaires for both principals and superintendents were derived from Harris's et al. (1979) task areas. The questionnaire was revised based upon recommendations made by full-time graduate students and professors of the Department of Educational Administration in the Faculty of Education at Memorial University. -- Several major findings and conclusions emanated from this study. Elementary principals perceptions of their existing responsibilities in recruitment and selection of instructional staff range from no responsibility to very little responsibility for all areas. Principals indicated a desire for considerable to full or equal responsibility in the majority of these areas. Marked disparities existed between perceptions of superintendents concerning the actual and desired role of principals in recruitment and selection of instructional staff. Superintendents generally agreed that principals should have more input. However, the desire expressed by superintendents for principals’ involvement in recruitment and selection was dramatically less than that expressed by principals. -- The study advanced the following recommendations: -- 1. Efforts should be directed toward providing experiences whereby perceptions of superintendents and principals could be more congruent. -- 2. Teacher selection could be changed from a centralized to a multi-level process. -- 3. Teachers could be selected by a team of school district personnel drawn from Central Office and respective schools. - 4. The present study should be replicated to include superintendents and high school principals to determine if findings would be similar to those found in this study. -- 5. University professors, familiar in theory and practice with teacher recruitment and selection might be included to help explain the different perceptions between elementary principals and superintendents regarding the principal’s role in recruitment and selection.