| The influence of Diane Gossen's Restitution, a model of self-discipline, on principals' leadership styles has to date not been researched. The purpose of this study was to answer the research question as follows: Is there a relationship, as perceived by principals and staff members, between Restitution training and constructs of transformational leadership?Dimensions of transformational leadership that were used in this study emerged through the literature review. The Nature of School Leadership Survey designed by Leithwood and Jantzi (1997) was the instrument used to assess the perceived leadership practices of each of the two principals.;A case study method was chosen for this study because of its descriptive and practical strength in educational settings, its qualitative character and its ability to influence educational practice, policy and additional research (Merriam, 1988). Data collection consisted of survey results, staff and principal interviews, principal observations, and document review.;Findings of the study indicated that according to the perceptions of nine out of eleven staff members, as well as perceptions of both principals in the study, Restitution does appear to have a relationship with the transformational leadership behaviors exhibited by the two principals in the study.;Themes that appeared most frequently in determining evidence to support these findings include the following: (1) Perceptions of principals and staff members indicated a non-coercive means of managing people supporting the Restitution notion of a restorative rather than a punishment model. Similarly, the principals have embraced the Restitution notion that "it is okay to make mistakes" which allowed for greater risk-taking on the part of the staff members and a higher degree of honesty in the students. (2) Both principals and nine of the eleven staff interviewees believed the strategies and language of Restitution provided the principals with the tools to encourage a transformational leadership style. (3) Restitution provided the principals with strategies to create the conditions for staff to develop individually and collectively. (4) Perceptions of principals and staff members indicate that Restitution has given principals that facilitative and communication skills to provide a more collaborative decision-making structure. |
