Category: Unit 5

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Learning Activity 5.4

https://create.twu.ca/ldrs591-sp18/unit-5-learning-activities/

 

As a consumer of research reports, the most important thing(s) for me in the methods and results section of a high-quality quantitative research report are: to understand the purpose of the study and how the study will be conducted, and for a clear discussion of the results, including the interpretation of the data.  As a person with limited knowledge of statstics, it is easier for me to understand the results when they are presented as a discussion in the conclusion section, rather than being presented in a Table.

Can one read the abstract and the data analysis and conclusion sections only, to have a basic understanding of the research?

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Learning Activity 5.3

Unit 5 Learning Activities

 

  1. The data were rigorously scored and prepared (3/3) – Cerit provides a clear explanation of the scoring process and results of the questionnaire. The servant leadership scale (OLA), developed by Laub in 1999, was used in this research. It is a measurement scale that uses six factors of servant leadership. Respondents were required to respond to questions using a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). (Cerit, Y. 2009, P 608). Plano-Clark and Creswell suggest that clear and consistent manners should be used to score the data. (Plano-Clark and Creswell, 2015, P 278). The scale used is clearly described and it is consistent. The author also clearly explains how the data was prepared.
  2. Good descriptive analyses were conducted (2/3) – The author outlines the correlation matrix, the standard deviation, standardized regression coefficients (β ), and variance inflation factors (VIF). The tables provide information on the central tendency as well as the mean. The tables were somewhat confusing to interpret as not all of the statistical variables used align with the statistical variables in Plano-Clark and Creswell. For a person with no statistics courses in their background, it is difficult to understand what each variable represents.
  3. Good hypothesis testing procedures were used (1/3) – Upon my review of the article, I cannot see that a null hypothesis is stated. Cerit states an alternative hypothesis.The author does provide Cronbach’s alpha coefficient but does not provide the alpha level. The researcher did collect, analyze and interpret the data that was collected in the questionnaire.
  4. The results are comprehensive (2/3) – The study refers to number of years of teaching experience, gender and level of education however they only do this to clarify that the selection of teachers is random. They do not report the results based on these different variables. Cerit does comment on the reliability of the OLA. “The OLA is a reliable instrument for measuring servant leadership. The internal consistency of the survey instrument was reliable at an acceptable level.” (Cerit Y., 2009, P 609-610).
  5. The results include sufficient information (2/3) – The author provides tables and figures. As previously stated, I personally found the tables somewhat difficult to interpret as not all of the variables align with Plano-Clark and Creswells variables. Cerit does provide a p value and did provide a clear determination that significant results were found. (Plano-Clark and Creswell, 2015, P 279).
  6. The data analysis represents a good process (3/3) – SPSS was used for the data analysis (Cerit Y., 2009, P 610). The analysis provided an explanation with the correlation between variables. The analysis was deductive, linear and objective.
  7. The results provide a good explanation of the study’s purpose (3/3) – “The results of this study revealed that there was a positive and significant relationship between servant leadership behaviours of principals and teachers’ job satisfaction, and that servant leadership behaviours of principals had a significant effect on job satisfaction.” (Cerit, Y., 2009, P 613). Cerit provides the reader with a clear understanding of the results and purpose of the study.

References

Cerit, Y. (2009). The Effects of Servant Leadership Behaviours of School Principals on Teachers’ Job Satisfaction. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 37(5), 600. doi:10.1177/1741143209339650

Creswell, J. W. (2015). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5th Edition. [Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780133570847/

Plano-Clark, V., Creswell, J. (2015). Understanding research: A consumer’s guide (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

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Learning Activity 5.2

Unit 5 Learning Activities

 

  • The sampling strategy is appropriate and justified (3/3) –  Cerit provides a clear explanation of the gender, teaching experience and levels of education for the teachers that responded to the survey. The survey was sent out to 700 teachers and 595 responded. This is an appropriate sample size for the survey. Plano Clark and Creswell suggest that a higher quality sampling strategy should be “fully described and clear” (Plano Clark and Creswell, 2015, P 249). Cerit justified his sampling by stating, “no studies on this subject have been carried out in Turkey.” (Cerit Y., 2009, P  601)
  • The sample size is appropriate and justified (2/3) – The sample size for this survey was appropriate. Plano-Clark and Creswell suggest that a survey study should have at least 350 responses. (Plano-Clark and Creswell, 2015, P 238).  Cerit surveyed across 29 different schools and had 595 teachers respond to the survey. Plano Clark and Creswell state that in order to meet criteria for higher quality quantitative research, the author needs to strongly justify the sample size using a procedure. Cerit stated the sample size but did not justify it.
  • High quality instruments are used to gather data (3/3) – Cerit provides an explanation of the instrument used in the research. The servant leadership scale (OLA), developed by Laub in 1999, is a measurement scale that uses six factors of servant leadership. Respondents were required to respond to questions using a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). (Cerit, Y., 2009, P 608). Plano-Clark and Creswell state that the author should indicate that the instrument was previously developed for research purposes. Cerit provides references to other servant leadership research in which this instrument was used. (Cerit, Y., 2009, P 608).
  • The data gathered using ethical quantitative procedures (1/3) –  Cerit sent out 700 survey questionnaires.  Of those 585 elementary teachers responded; an 85% response rate.  Cerit does not indicate specifically what consent was formally obtained, if any, before the survey was sent out.  One can only infer that consent was specifically asked for on the survey questionnaire document, or alternatively that consent was assumed by virtue of the fact that the teacher responded to the questionnaire.
  • The data are gathered using standardized quantitative procedures (2/3) – Plano-Clark and Creswell state that all participants must be asked the same questions, are given the same choices for responding, are given the same instructions for completing the survey and can complete the survey under similar conditions such as the same amount of time etc. (Plano-Clark and Creswell, 2015, P 245-246). Cerit meets all of these criteria for using standardized quantitative procedures. A criticism of the standardized quantitative procedures for this research may be that respondents may have had the opportunity to talk to others while completing the questionnaire and I believe that this could easily influence their responses. Plano-Clark and Creswell, (2015) suggest that researchers should ensure that participants cannot talk to each other while completing the survey, however, with a sample size this large, that would be difficult to control.
  • The study has a high level of internal validity (3/3) – This research measured the relationship between factors of servant leadership and job satisfaction. “Results of correlation analysis revealed a positive and significant relationship between extrinsic job satisfaction of teachers and factors of servant leadership. (Cerit Y., 2009, P 611). I believe this study has good internal validity.
  • The study has high level of external validity (3/3) – The study had an 85% rate of response. Plano-Clark and Creswell (2015) suggest that 80% or higher indicates high external validity. (Plano-Clark and Creswell, 2015, P 247). The researchers also examined the demographics of the participants including gender, teaching experience and education

 

References

Cerit, Y. (2009). The Effects of Servant Leadership Behaviours of School Principals on Teachers’ Job Satisfaction. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 37(5), 600. doi:10.1177/1741143209339650

Creswell, J. W. (2015). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5th Edition. [Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780133570847/

Plano-Clark, V., Creswell, J. (2015). Understanding research: A consumer’s guide (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

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Learning Activity 5.1

Unit 5 Learning Activities

  • What quantitative research design is used and is it justified?

The quantitative research design used in this nonexperimental research is a survey design. (Plano Clark and Creswell, 2015, P 196). The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of the servant leadership behaviour in principals of elementary schools, and determine how it impacted teacher’s job satisfaction.(Cerit, Y., 2009, p. 600). “Justifying the research problem means that you use the literature to document the importance of the issue examined in the study” (Creswell, J.,2015, p.13).The study is justified as there is a significant review of literature and current research on the subject matter, and this type of study has not ever been done in Turkey. (Cerit, Y., 2009, p. 601) The leadership scale developed by Laub (1999) was used to determine servant leadership behaviours in principals, and the job satisfaction scale developed by Mohrman et al. (1977), to determine teacher job satisfaction. (Cerit, Y., 2009, p. 600). The study method is high quality in that it provides trends to variables in a given population: in this case principals and teachers. The study was conducted by giving questionnaires out to 700 primary school teachers in 29 different primary schools in Turkey. They had an 85% response rate, as 595 teachers responded. (Cerit, Y., 2009, p. 608) The reason for the research was very clear and was justified.

  • Are good quantitative procedures used to select and assign participants?

The procedure for obtaining participants was appropriate.  Participants were randomly selected within the population.  Researchers sent the questionnaire to 700 primary school teachers in 29 different primary schools and out of this, 595 responded. (Cerit, Y., 2009, p. 608) Of this group, 56.3% were female and 43.7% were male.(Cerit, Y., 2009, p. 608) “21% of the teachers had a bachelor’s degree, 67.9 a college degree and 10.9% a master’s degree”(Cerit, Y., 2009, p. 608) In terms of the experience that the teacher’s had, the number of years teaching varied from 1 year to 21 years or more. (Cerit, Y., 2009, p. 608) The researchers identified a few variables to study based on the leadership scale developed by Laub (1999), which was used to determine servant leadership behaviours in principals, and the job satisfaction scale developed by Mohrman et al. (1977), to determine teacher job satisfaction. (Cerit, Y., 2009, p. 600).

  • Are good quantitative data collection procedures used?

Rigorous quantitative data collection procedures were used. The instrument used for quantifying the data was a questionnaire made up of 68 questions. Of those, 60 were related to determining the servant leadership behaviour of principals and 8 were questions to measure teacher job satisfaction (Cerit., Y., 2009, p. 608) After collecting and analyzing the data, the researchers were able to draw conclusions from the results.

  • Does the quantitative research design address the study’s purpose?

The basic quantitative research design format was: introduction, review of the literature, methods, results, and discussion to address the study’s purpose. The results of the questionnaire were broken down and rigorously analyzed using statistical analyses, such as: standard deviation, mean, correlation and multi-regression analysis. The researchers found that there is a positive and significant relationship between a teacher’s level of job satisfaction and the servant leadership qualities displayed by the principal. (Cerit, Y., 2009, p.613).The findings were supported by other studies that had been conducted previously, but not in Turkey. The researchers concluded the study by acknowledging that the answers to the questionnaires were based on an individual teacher’s perception and biases within their school setting, and it is recommended that in order to generalize the results, more studies would have to be conducted in different places. (Cerit, Y., 2009, p. 617). I would rate this research as: 3.

Reference:

Cerit, Y. (2009). The Effects of Servant Leadership Behaviours of School Principals on Teachers’ Job Satisfaction. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 37(5), 600. doi:10.1177/1741143209339650

Creswell, J. W. (2015). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, 5th Edition. [Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780133570847/

Plano-Clark, V., Creswell, J. (2015). Understanding research: A consumer’s guide (2nd ed.).
Boston, MA: Pearson.

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Unit 5, Learning Activity 2

When a leader makes the decision to intervene, they must then decide whether they should intervene internally or externally. (Northouse, 2017). First the leader must decide whether the problem is inside of the team or if it is external to the team. An effective leader must ask themselves, “Are the goals clear?” “What can I do to help team members focus on the goals?” (Northouse, 2017). When a leader knows the answers to these questions, they must “analyze the demands of the team and react appropriately.” (Barge, 1996), retrieved from (Northouse, 2017). “Leadership can help members effectively deal with conflict by encouraging discussion and rapport building within teams. (Gupta et al., 2010, P 338).

If a team is experiencing conflict, the leader must determine how to intervene to resolve the conflict to improve the functioning of the team. (Northouse, 2017). If a team is experiencing conflict between members, then an action must be taken internally or within the team itself. (Northouse, 2017).  A leader must assess the problem, and provide tactful means of improving relationships as well as the supports necessary for the team to effectively do their job. If the leader determines that the “organizational environment is not providing proper support to the team to do its job, then perhaps an external environmental intervention focusing on obtaining external support for the team might be the most appropriate intervention.” (Northouse, 2017, P 376).

In my personal experience, an external leadership action that has been taken was when my principal approached me and asked me what supports she could offer me in order to help me experience success with my students. She offered to assist me in meeting with parents, providing additional assistant support as well as extra literacy support for my lower students. Her action made me feel more of a part of the education team at my school.

 

Another example of an external leadership action, can be seen in the movie Invictus. The captain of the rugby team had the team teach rugby to young children. The children were so motivated and excited that they surrounded the team and started chanting songs and rhymes. This motivated the players of the rugby team and inspired a sense of pride and a sense of team spirit. Northouse, 2017, suggests that an external action is advocating and representing the team to environment. The players were together, working as a team and experienced success with teaching rugby to children.(Northouse, 2017, P 380).

Another example from this movie is when Mandela flew in to where they were about to play. In front of everyone, he shook the hand of each team member, called them by their first name and said, “good luck.” This is external action that motivated and inspired each player. According to Hill’s model for team leadership in Northouse, 2017, this is an example of networking. (Northouse, 2017, P 379).

In the last 4 years in my school division, they have implemented a new standardized test called Dibels. Each staff member initially struggled with this test, the information that it was providing us as educators and how we were to move forward with this information. The goals were unclear. Northouse, 2017, suggest that an internal leadership action is goal focusing, which involves clarifying the goals for the team members. Our principal took an internal leadership action to help clarify these goals for us. She created charts, brought in exemplars, encouraged collaboration and clearly defined the goal of the Dibels test so that we could more effectively do our job. (Northouse, 2017, P 377).

In this example, she also used the internal action of structuring for results. Once the interpretation of the test results were clear, she presented us with a vision for what the desired outcome would be. She came up with a plan to push the lower kids into the higher categories. She did this by delegating literacy support to some staff members and by clarifying our roles in this vision. (Northouse, 2017, P 378).

Another example of internal action that I have experienced relates to the student I had last year that had many learning and behavioural challenges. It quickly became clear that the situation we were dealing with was more challenging and difficult than we thought it would be. The principal took internal leadership action and sent the team of staff who was working with this student to receive more training. She realized that we, “did not have the skills necessary to make well-reasoned decisions.” (Northouse, 2017, P 378). Providing more education and training is part of Hill’s model for team leadership. (Northouse, 2017, P 378).

In a group project organization, the leader must provide all members of the team with clear goals as well as a structured plan on how these goals will be achieved. A leader must ensure that a cohesive environment is established so that all team members can “work together to achieve desired outcomes.” (Gupta, et al., 2010, P(Chang & Bordia, 2001). An effective leader will empathize and listen to each member of the team in order to determine when internal or external actions are necessary. (Spears, 2010). The leader must encourage a collaborative community within the team by providing opportunity for networking, sharing information and forming alliances within the team environment. (Northouse, 2017). If a leader can effectively complete these tasks while monitoring the progress and dynamics of the team, the leader as well as the members of the team will experience success in achieving goals.

 

References

 

Spears, L., (2010). The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, Vol. 1 Iss. 1, 2010, 25-30.

Northouse, P. (2017). Leadership: Theory and Practice.

Eastwood, C., McCreary, L., (2009). Invictus [Warner Bros]. United States of America: Warner Bros.

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Unit 5, Activity 1

“Team effectiveness, which focuses on team excellence or the desired outcomes of teamwork, has two critical functions. (Northouse, 2017, P 367). The first critical function of team effectiveness is, performance, which is task accomplishment. (Northouse, 2017, P 368). The second critical function relates to the cohesiveness of the team. It is development. (Northouse, 2017).

Hackman et. al, 2012, have created an assessment tool that can be used to determine the effectiveness of a team. (Northouse, 2017). If a leader feels that there are weak areas, or areas where their team has not been the most effective, then he or she needs to focus on goals to improve the team in that area. (Northouse, 2017).  “Hackman et. al 2012, suggest 6 enabling conditions of effective team functioning:

  1. Is it a real team?
  2. Does it have a compelling purpose?
  3. Does it have the right people?
  4. Are the norms of conduct clear?
  5. Is there support from the organizational context?
  6. Is there team-focused coaching?”

(Northouse, 2017, P 368).

Laran and LaFasto (1989) also studied patterns in team effectiveness and found 8 characteristics, that were similar to Hackman’s findings, that consistently stood out. (Northouse, 2017).

  1. Clear Elevating Goal.
  2. Results-Driven Structure.
  3. Competent Team Members.
  4. Unified Commitment.
  5. Collaborative Climate.
  6. Standards of Excellence.
  7. External Support and recognition.
  8. Principled Leadership.

Personally, I have experienced some of these conditions of team effectiveness. Unified commitment relates to having a sense of unity or identification as a team. (Northouse, 2017, P 370). Previously, the staff was very separated at our school. Our school did not have a team that would voluntarily collaborate or assist others in achieving goals. We were a separated staff. This doesn’t make for an effective team because people were unhappy at work, felt overworked and did not feel like a team. Our new principal is trying hard to lead us into having a unified commitment so that we can be a more effective team.

I am in my fifth year of teaching grade 4. The other staff member and I who teach grade 4 have become very close as colleagues. We work together at school during school hours, outside of school hours in the evenings and on weekends and we share things we have done on our own. This is an example of Larson and Lafasto’s characteristic of collaborative climate. (Larson and Lafasto, 1989). I also see this characteristic beginning to be achieved elsewhere in the school so that we can work more effectively as a team. Another example is our committee that guides the new staff. Each new staff member has a volunteer leader that guides them through challenges that arise throughout the year.

The seventh characteristic of team excellence as defined by Larson and Lafasto is “External Support and Recognition.” (Northouse, 2017, P 371). Northouse, 2017, according to Larson and Lafasto, states that “teams can achieve excellence if they are given the resources needed to do their jobs, are recognized for team accomplishments, and are rewarded for team performance rather than for individual performances.” (Northouse, 2017, P 371). This year, I am experiencing a classroom of students who are mostly average or above average learners. In previous years, I have experienced groups who are much lower and have more difficulties learning. As teachers, we always try our best to ensure that each student is getting the highest quality of education. If a teacher doesn’t have the proper resources and external support, our task of providing quality instruction to students who struggle, becomes even more difficult. This year, for the first time in my teaching career, our administrative staff approached each classroom teacher at the end of September and asked us what kind of support they could offer and provide. They asked if we felt like we needed more educational assistant time in our classrooms, more certified instructor assistance or more classroom resources. It was motivating to be asked and to have had these external resources offered to us. Personally, I felt like it enabled me to ensure that I am giving the absolute best education to my students.

Principled leadership is the eighth characteristic in Larson and Lafasto’s characteristics of team excellence. It is defined as “the central driver of team effectiveness” (Northouse, 2017, P 371). It is the principles that drive the leadership towards achieving goals, facing challenges and accomplishing tasks. There are 4 sets of processes that influence team effectiveness.(Northouse, 2017). The first is cognitive, in which the leader assists the team with understanding the problems. (Northouse, 2017). The second is motivational, where the leader guides the team into being able to work together by setting high performance standards and them helping the team work towards achieving these standards. (Northouse, 2017). The third process is affective. The leader assists the team in conquering stressful situations by providing clear goals, assignments, and providing them with strategies that will lead them to desired results. (Northouse, 2017). The fourth process is coordination. “Coordinately, the leader helps integrate the team’s activities by matching members’ skills to roles, providing clear performance strategies, monitoring feedback, and adapting to environmental changes.” (Northouse, 2017, P 371).

The third process, affective, is valuable to me in a team environment. Teaching, at times, is a highly stressful career. When I am stressed, I sometimes feel overwhelmed, discouraged or unsure what to do next. I value the affective process because during these high stress times, a leader can offer practical strategies towards achieving goals and accomplishing tasks. The affective process, can provide a team with the tools that they need to face any challenge. If each member of the team knows exactly which strategies to use in order to accomplish goals, the team will be more effective and efficient in achieving the goals. Without these strategies and clear goals, it is difficult for a team to effectively work together.

Northouse, P. (2017). Leadership: Theory and Practice.