A qualitative analysis of the perceptions of selected secondary principals regarding inservice training as conducted by the New Jersey Academy for the Advancement of Teaching and Management and by the National Endowment for the Humanities at Vanderbilt Un

The purpose of this study was to perform a qualitative analysis of the perceptions of selected secondary principals regarding the inservice training provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities at Vanderbilt University and the inservice training provided by the Academy for Teaching and Management in Edison, New Jersey to determine the extent to which the common goals of these programs had been accomplished.;The subjects of this study included six secondary principals from New Jersey. The remaining forty-one participants from both programs were surveyed to triangulate data.;The review of the literature included: historical background of the inservice training of secondary principals, the theoretical basis, organizational theory, current inservice programs for principals, the content of inservice programs, leadership training with humanities content, and evaluation criteria for inservice programs for secondary principals.;The predominant research methodology was qualitative. It was based on the analytic inductive approach rather than the hypothetico-deductive approach. Data was gathered via a survey using the Likert scale for scaled responses. Triangulation occurred using the methodological and data approaches. Since the study was tightly focused, data analysis was guided by the research questions and the interview questionnaire. No other method of data analysis attempted yielded fruitful results.;The findings of the study suggested that the NEH program accomplished its goals definitively and in the process of doing so, left the participants with a rich foundation of information about leadership, scholarship and the intellectual life to build on in their careers.;The ATM program accomplished its goals in a random and haphazard manner leaving little of substance for the participants to apply to professional practice.;The setting of both campuses and the quality and enthusiasm of the presenters in both programs served to motivate the participants to renewed confidence in the practice of their professions.;The absence of a link between undergraduate study and the work of a secondary principal suggested the need to establish more of a relationship between academic study and professional practice.