Instructional leadership: Perceptions of middle school principals and teachers

The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of instructional leadership between middle school principals and middle school teachers. It also extended the high school level research of Nix (2002) and replicated the research at the middle school level. This study examined the perceptions of middle school teachers and principals to see similarities and differences in perceptions of important instructional leadership behaviors. The study also compared perceptions of middle school teachers and principals with the results of the Nix (2002) study of high school teachers' and principals' perceptions of important instructional leadership behaviors. To analyze similarities and differences, survey data were gathered.;The Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) (Hallinger, 1984) was the survey used to identify principal instructional leadership behaviors reported by middle school teachers and middle school principals. The sample included 272 principals and 381 teachers in Texas public middle schools, serving grades six through eight. The survey was comprised of 71 items, divided into 11 broad categories that measure instructional leader behaviors. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine whether a difference existed between principals' and teachers' responses on the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale. An overall total score for the survey, as well as a total score for each of the 11 broad categories, were analyzed to determine differences. With respect to AEIS ratings, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine if a significant difference existed between the respondents' survey total scores and broad category scores.;This study found no significant difference in the perceptions of middle school principals and teachers with respect to important instructional leadership behaviors that the principal should perform. When the 11 broad categories of the PIMRS were compared with teachers and principals of high AEIS schools, a significant difference was found only in the area of Coordinating the Curriculum. Differences were found between high school principals and teachers and middle school principals and teachers perceptions of instructional leadership.