Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Education
Advisor
John Harrison
Abstract
Although current research links teacher effectiveness and student success to epistemological beliefs, little is known about how those beliefs influence principal leadership and school success. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which epistemological beliefs of K-8 principals predict school success in a large U.S. metropolitan area (LMA). The theoretical framework was Perry’s theory of epistemological development and Schommer-Aikin’s theory of personal epistemology. In this quantitative correlational study, epistemological beliefs of K-8 principals were measured with the Schommer-Aikins Epistemological Belief Inventory and school success with School Quality Rating Policy (SQRP). Data were collected through a convenient sample from 51 K-8 principals with two or more years of experience in public and charter schools (out of a population of 105 in the LMA). Logistic regressions were conducted to determine if epistemological beliefs were a significant predictor of school success. Results indicated that the medium epistemological beliefs group was 8 times more likely to achieve school success than the low group. Individually, the four dimensions of epistemological beliefs were not predictive of school success. This research study increased our knowledge of the relationship between epistemological beliefs of K-8 principals and school success and has implications for principal leadership programs, principal selection processes, and school success. School success can translate into student success in elementary, high school, college, and vocational school and can have spillover effects on urban renewal.
Recommended Citation
sanford, Leland Stuart, "The Relationship Between Kindergarten to Grade 8 Principals’ Epistemological Beliefs and School Success" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 13748.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/13748
