| The climate of school is built by the relationships of the principal and teachers. Relationships between faculty and principals within schools depend on trust for developing a successful school. The researcher investigated if relationships maybe enhanced or deteriorated by the behaviors shown by the principal. The purpose of this correlational quantitative study was to examine the relationship between principal behaviors, such as praising, buffering, involving, and caring and faculty trust throughout rural schools in Idaho with a low socioeconomic student population. Transformational leadership theory was the foundation for the study. The researcher analyzed through the correlational research method the variables and their relationship to faculty trust within the school through the Principal Behavior Scale and the Omnibus T Scale. In addition, the researcher was examining if trust correlates to an effective school as shown by state scores. The analysis of the correlation of the behaviors to trust was determined through Pearson Product Moment Correlation statistical testing and the examination of the school effectiveness to trust was analyzed through an ANOVA.;There were nine schools that participated in the study and 82 total teachers who completed the surveys. The researcher found through the analysis that all four behavior constructs; praising, buffering, caring, and involving were highly correlated to trust. Involving behaviors such as open communication and shared-decision making were found to be highest correlated to trust. There was no evidence of trust relating to higher test scores between the lower and higher performing schools. Recommendations for practical use were to incorporate the findings into principal professional development for districts and principal training for preparatory courses. Future research included replicating the study within schools with a wider discrepancy of scores, different types of schools such as; private schools, charter schools, even schools in different geographical locations. |
