TRANSACTIONAL AND TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN THE SUPERINTENDENCY: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THREE UPPER PENINSULA SUPERINTENDENTS’ EXPERIENCES

<p>This study aimed to analyze and provide an understanding of how three rural public school superintendents in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan practiced transformational leadership. Transformational leadership includes the elements of idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration (Burns, 1978). Transformational superintendents must lead our schools to provide students with the best educational opportunity. The study focused on the superintendents experiences in deciding to become a superintendent, their beliefs about leadership, and how they approached decisions through a transactional or transformational process. The study also sought to provide insight into the relationship with their school board and how it supports the superintendent in being transformational within their school district. The researcher interviewed three currently practicing superintendents who each had over three years of experience in the same district. The results of this study show that the three superintendents not only practiced Thompson's (2014) transformation style with the elements of developing trust, respect, and interdependence with one another and members of the facility and community, but they met Fullan’s (2002) definition of creating a transformational culture. This includes possessing moral purpose, an understanding of the change process, the ability to improve relationships, knowledge creation and sharing, and coherence making.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Education Specialist

Level thesis:degree_level

Education Specialist

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education, Leadership and Public Service

Year dc:date.available

2023

Author dc:creator

• Coombs-Gerou, Lisa A

Contributors dc:contributor

• Bethney Bergh, PhD

• Superintendent
• Rural School
• Transformational
• Transactional
• Mentoring
• Upper Peninsula of Michigan
• Leadership
• School District
• Public School
• Charter School
• Educational Leadership

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/758

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.nmu.edu:theses-1806