| College faculty primarily teach, conduct research, and publish scholarly works; however, several researchers have suggested that leadership theories are applicable to faculty duties. The specific problem is the amount of research is limited and the research results are inconsistent regarding the relationship between perceived faculty leadership behaviors, specifically those covered by the full-range leadership theory, and student satisfaction. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between perceived full-range leadership behaviors of college faculty and student satisfaction, predicted by course grade, grade point average, and teaching quality. The researcher first identified the faculty leadership behaviors perceived by students, and second, examined the impact of the three leadership behaviors (i.e., transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire) on student satisfaction, predicted by course grade, grade point average, and teaching quality. The study participants were undergraduate students from a private, non-profit college. The students were contacted to participate in the study through the college's email system. Students were asked to complete anonymously online: (a) the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X) to assess perceived faculty leadership behaviors, (b) questions regarding teaching quality from the IDEA Student Rating of Instruction, and (c) a demographic questionnaire. Multiple regression was used to establish and predict relationships between perceived full-range leadership behaviors and student satisfaction. For faculty perceived to demonstrate transactional leadership behaviors, course grade, grade point average, and teaching quality, as a predictor model, were statistically significant predictors of student satisfaction (p=.000). Of the three predictor variables, teaching quality was the sole significant predictor variable (p=.000). No statistically significant relationships existed for faculty perceived to demonstrate laissez-faire and transformational leadership behaviors. Course grade and grade point average were not statistically significant predictor variables under all three leadership behaviors. Teaching quality was the sole predictor variable that was statistically significant (p=.000) for faculty perceived to demonstrate transformational behaviors. This study provides additional insight into the impact of faculty leadership behaviors on student satisfaction. Further research might include replicating the study with different predictor variables, in different higher education settings, and with non-traditional age students. Future research might also include using qualitative methodology to augment the quantitative methodology. |
