This applied dissertation used a cross-sectional survey design to collect data about the leadership-style preferences and performance of school librarians in the United States who worked in elementary or secondary schools. The purpose of the study was to determine whether there was a correlation between the leadership-style preference of school librarians and their level of performance as educational and technological leaders on the curriculum and instructional team. Bass’s theory on transformational leadership provided the theoretical framework. The study population was 1,000 school librarians randomly selected from the database of Market Data Retrieval. Data were collected using Bass and Avolio’s Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Form 5x-Short) Leadership Form and an additional data sheet that contained closed-ended questions regarding the participants’ self-perceived performance of the roles prescribed in Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning. Data were analyzed to see if school librarians who had a preference for the transformational-leadership style were performing as educational and technological leaders in the curriculum and instructional role as prescribed in Information Power. Results indicated that school librarians who had a preference for transformational leadership were performing their prescribed roles at a high level (3.2 mean). This study’s primary contribution to theory and practice was to highlight the transformational role of school librarians. Limitations of this study were that participants self-rated their leadership characteristics and performance as professionals. The results of this investigation have significance for school librarians, administrators, and library educators as well as those involved in preparing new standards in the profession.
| Date of Award | Jan 1 2007 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Johanna Tunon (Supervisor), Charles Schlosser (Advisor) & Maryellen Maher (Advisor) |
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