Explorations among perceptions of the leadership orientations of secondary school principals and the organizational climates of the schools they administer

Purpose. The purpose of the study was to determine the measure of relationship between perceptions of a principal's leadership orientation and the organizational climate of his school. Specifically, the study attempted to examine this relationship, based on the perceptions of four reference groups: (1) the principal, (2) the professional and para-professional office staff, (3) the teachers, and (4) the combined principal, staff, and teachers. Procedures. The design of the study provided for the development of an instrument to assess the modus operandum, or leadership orientation, of a school principal. This instrument, the Leadership Orientation Questionnaire (LCQ), was developed within the constructs of the Getzels-Guba model and possessed means of identifying a principal's behavior, within each of the six administrative process areas, as being high, moderate, or low on the nomothetic and idiographic dimensions. Tests for reliability and validity were made, and the instrument was found adequate for assessing the leadership orientation of secondary school principals. [...]