| The purpose of this study was to examine how the leadership behaviors of the Catholic elementary school principal shaped the culture of the school in support of novice teachers. When principals ensure that their schools are filled with good teachers, they help to raise the achievement level of the students. However, becoming a good teacher takes time and support. Novice teachers need support if they are to become effective practitioners. Through their leadership behaviors, Catholic elementary school principals can provide necessary supports for novice teachers. It is vital that Catholic elementary school principals understand how their leadership behaviors impact novice teachers.;This research study employed a quantitative method which utilized a web-based self-administered survey. Data were obtained from 74 novice teachers in the nine Catholic Diocese of: the Archdiocese of Boston, the Archdiocese of Kansas City, the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the Archdiocese of Seattle, the Diocese of Austin, the Diocese of Des Moines, the Diocese of Fort Worth-South Bend, the Diocese of Jackson, and the Diocese of Phoenix. The survey instrument, The Catholic Elementary School Novice Teacher Survey, elicited demographic information, and provided data on the relationship focused and task focused leadership behaviors of the principal from the novice teacher's prospective. A Pearson product correlation coefficient and two-way analysis of variance were used for data analysis.;The most important finding of this research study is that the leadership behaviors of the Catholic elementary school principal do shape the culture of the school in support of novice teachers. Both relationship focused leadership behaviors and task focused leadership behaviors were shown to positively impact the culture of the school in support of novice teachers. However, novice teachers' perceived relationship focused leadership behaviors of the principal to provide a higher level of support. It is important that principals understand their leadership behaviors in order to provide the necessary support for the development of the novice teachers in their school buildings. |
