Reliance structures of neophyte principals in rural contexts
type: CreativeWork
description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the development and establishment of reliance structures among rural neophyte administrators in southern Saskatchewan during their first year as principal. The primary research question was, "What are the perspectives and reflections of rural based second year principals concerning the development and establishment of their own reliance structures during their neophyte year? Specifically the study focused on the contexts of the schools, the reliance structure, the formal and informal socialization processes, and the self-efficacy of neophyte principals. The significance of this study was based upon the lack of coherence between the theory and practice for the preparation of new educational administrators (McKague, 2001; Ferrandino, 2000; Griffith, 1999; Lawson, 1999; Renihan, 1999; Davis, 1998; Restine, 1997). This study addressed a deficiency in the research by exploring the reliance structures of neophyte principals through a multi-method approach. First, a questionnaire was utilized to gain a general perception from the participants on their own reliance structure. Second, in-depth interviews provided more detail on the perspectives and experiences of first year principals with their own reliance structure. The sample included 26 rural-based second year principals, who had no prior administrative experience. Twenty-five of the 26 neophyte principals returned the Reliance Structure for Neophyte Principals (RSNP) survey forms, for a return rate of 96.2 percent. As well, all 26 neophyte principals were asked to participate in an interview that further investigated their perceptions of how they established their supports in a reliance structure. Of the 26 neophyte principals, 24 participated in the interviews for a response rate of 92.3 per cent. A number of contextual factors were seen to influence neophyte principals' development of the reliance structure. These included: the location of the school, the size of the schoo…
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the development and establishment of reliance structures among rural neophyte administrators in southern Saskatchewan during their first year as principal. The primary research question was, "What are the perspectives and reflections of rural based second year principals concerning the development and establishment of their own reliance structures during their neophyte year? Specifically the study focused on the contexts of the schools, the reliance structure, the formal and informal socialization processes, and the self-efficacy of neophyte principals. The significance of this study was based upon the lack of coherence between the theory and practice for the preparation of new educational administrators (McKague, 2001; Ferrandino, 2000; Griffith, 1999; Lawson, 1999; Renihan, 1999; Davis, 1998; Restine, 1997). This study addressed a deficiency in the research by exploring the reliance structures of neophyte principals through a multi-method approach. First, a questionnaire was utilized to gain a general perception from the participants on their own reliance structure. Second, in-depth interviews provided more detail on the perspectives and experiences of first year principals with their own reliance structure. The sample included 26 rural-based second year principals, who had no prior administrative experience. Twenty-five of the 26 neophyte principals returned the Reliance Structure for Neophyte Principals (RSNP) survey forms, for a return rate of 96.2 percent. As well, all 26 neophyte principals were asked to participate in an interview that further investigated their perceptions of how they established their supports in a reliance structure. Of the 26 neophyte principals, 24 participated in the interviews for a response rate of 92.3 per cent. A number of contextual factors were seen to influence neophyte principals' development of the reliance structure. These included: the location of the school, the size of the schoo…
author: Casavant, Marc D.
language: en_US
date published: 2001
date modified: 2026-07-24T04:26:52Z
provider: University of Saskatchewan
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Saskatchewan

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-07302008-113348