A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF PRINCIPALS' SELF-REPORT HUMOR SCORES AND THEIR LEADERSHIP STYLES AS PERCEIVED BY TEACHERS

This exploratory study addressed the concepts of humor, leadership, and school climate simultaneously. The purpose of the study was to detect differences, as perceived by teachers, in leadership styles and school climate between principals who scored high on the 13 humor factors and those who scored low. The underlying rationale for the study resided in the constructive use of humor as an administrative tool to enhance leadership effectiveness and its corollary, school climate.; The research was conducted in a selected suburban school system. The sample population consisted of all elementary, middle and secondary school principals (N = 16) and randomly selected teachers (N = 219). The principals were asked to complete the IPAT Humor Test. The teachers had previously responded to Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire--Form XII (LBDQ-12) and the Profile of a School (POS) instrument two months prior to the study. The latter data were retrieved from the computerized data bank at the University of New Orleans.; The data were described and analyzed through multivariate statistical techniques. In particular, 13 one-way MANOVA were performed on the dependent variables of leadership and school climate. For all analyses, pending a significant multivariate omnibus statistic (i.e., Wilks' Lambda Criterion), post hoc procedures of calculating univariate F-tests were employed. In summary, the MANOVA technique yielded statistical significance for Humor Factors 8 (Neat, Light-Hearted Wit versus Ponderous Humor), 12 (Rebound Against Feminine Aggression versus Scorn of Ineffectual Male), and 13 (Dullness versus General Intelligence) with respect to both hypotheses. Because the study was exploratory in nature, ancillary statistical analyses were also performed on the data.