Transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership: An examination of the Bass (1985) theory in the university classroom environment

It has been theorized that the style of instructor leadership in the classroom is important for effectively transferring and expanding student knowledge and for obtaining a highly qualified level of education. This revelation provides an impetus for using the Bass 1985 theoretical approach for determining the student perceived style of instructor leadership in university classrooms, measuring the effectiveness of the perceived style, determining whether there are group differences, and analyzing any differences in instructor and student perceived traits. This relationship study applies data collection and scoring procedures developed for the Bass 1985 theoretical studies. This study accomplishes this by examining the correlation between the independent variables of leadership style with the dependent outcome variables of extra effort, instructor effectiveness, and satisfaction with the instructor. The study also evaluates any differences in the means of groups identified as; instructor's style versus student's perceived leadership, style, and different classrooms. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was used to gather data. The multivariate statistical techniques of multiple regression and product-moment correlation resulted in determining that transformational scales were statistically significant and correlated positively with outcome factors. The transformational scales and one transactional scale were most positively correlated with the outcomes while other scales were consistently negatively correlated with the outcome factors. Analysis of variance was used for determining differences in student perceptions of leadership style for different classes and for determining differences in the perception of leadership style by students and the self-perceived leadership style of the instructor. These comparisons of the means of groups provided support for accepting that there was a difference in the perception in leadership styles in different classes and that there were no significant differences in the perceptions of leadership style by students and the self-perceived leadership style of the instructor. Recommendations include expanding the outcome variables to include academic, social, and psychological changes that result from educational experiences. Further research is recommended to expand the study into areas that are not supported by the current data.