Exploring Connections between Teacher Efficacy and Principals’ Leadership Behaviors

This paper reports the results of an exploratory investigation of the connections between principals’ leadership behaviors and teachers’ sense of efficacy in selected middle schools currently involved in building-level change efforts. Our findings indicate that there is a significant difference between general teaching efficacy (GTE) and personal teaching efficacy (PTE), the two dimensions that define the construct of teacher efficacy. When asked to interpret principals’ leadership behaviors, there was a significant difference between teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of principals’ leadership behaviors. Finally, the principal leadership behaviors most strongly related to GTE were models behavior, provides contingent rewards and inspires group purpose. Modeling behaviors and providing contingent rewards were also significantly related to PTE. Implications for further research, for principal preparation, and for administrative practice are discussed.