Leadership styles, maturity levels, and job satisfaction in elementary schools.

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to determine if a relationship does exist between the leadership styles of the principals, the maturity levels and the job satisfaction of the elementary teachers, and to test the Situational Leadership Theory to determine if the linkage between the leadership styles and the maturity levels is important. The method included the collection of the data by means of the LEAD Other, the MATURITY Scale (Self-rating form), and JDI questionnaires. Over 151 teachers from the seven selected elementary schools participated in this study. Statistical analysis was accomplished by means of the Mann-Whitney U test and the Sperman's Rank Order Correlation Coefficient. The leadership styles and the maturity levels, the leadership styles and the job satisfaction, the maturity levels and the job satisfaction were not shown to be significantly related. The results indicate the general lack of support for the basic hypothesis and the Situational Leadership Theory. The principal's leadership behavior does not contribute to and is not influenced by the maturity levels of school teachers. Also, neither the skills, motivation, and experience of the teachers nor the behavioral characteristics of the principals seem to have an impact upon the teachers' job satisfaction.