Exploring Leadership Experiences Of School Psychologists In Supporting Schools: A Phenomenological Study

The passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2004 have placed increased demands on all educators and administrators. School psychologists find themselves charged with addressing a broad range of issues today, and there is an emphasis on leadership in the effective provision of services. Although the literature is replete with examples of the centrality of leadership in regards to the educational experience of students, there have not been sufficient studies that have studied this topic in school psychology. The purpose of this study was to discover, understand, and describe in rich detail the lived experience of school psychologists exercising leadership. The researcher interviewed school psychologists within a mid-size school district in Central Florida who were nominated by district administrators that supervise of them. Additionally, this study sought to identify the contexts, domains of practice, universal structures, and opportunities utilized in their experiences. School psychologists demonstrated leadership through collaboration and consultation, professional expertise, student-oriented needs, expert-problem solvers, and communication skills. The contexts of their leadership experiences varied due to the diverse roles taken on by the individual, however they were all demonstrated at the district level, school level, and with their peers. The leadership experiences identified by the study participants correspond to most of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) domains of practice and also correspond to transformational leadership. The results are particularly salient to school psychologist, as the information comes from the perspective of school psychologists who were noted to be "effective" and displays "leadership" and are now exercising leadership. Future research is encourage to examine leadership experiences across multiple school districts to identify experiences of other leaders across various settings.

Author dc:creator

• Joseph, Julie

Contributors dc:contributor

• Martin, Suzanne

• School psychology; school psychologist; leadership; special education
• Education
• Dissertations, Academic -- Education and Human Performance; Education and Human Performance -- Dissertations, Academic

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

CFE0005814

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd-2220