A Study of the Leadership Training Needs As Perceived by the Secondary School Principals of Fiji
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Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertations Graduate Research 1990 A Study of the Leadership Training Needs as Perceived by the Secondary School Principals of Fiji Nemani W. Tausere Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations Part of the Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, and the Educational Leadership Commons Recommended Citation Tausere, Nemani W., "A Study of the Leadership Training Needs as Perceived by the Secondary School Principals of Fiji" (1990). Dissertations. 725. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/725 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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UMI University Microfilms international A Beil & Howeii information Company til * t t k * I I V > U U . >• I I * U W ‘«- 3 1 3 7 6 1 - 4 7 0 0 8 0 0 5 2 1 - 0 6 0 0 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Order Number 9031252 A study of the leadership training needs as perceived by the secondary school principals of Fiji Tausere, Nemani Wapole, Ph.D. Andrews University, 1990 Copyright ©1990 by Tausere, Nemani Wapole. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N.ZeebRd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT STUDY OF THE LEADERSHIP TRAINING NLEDS AS PERCEIVED BY THE SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS OF FIJI by Nemani W. Tausere Chairman: Edward A. Streeter Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University School of Education Title: A STUDY OF THE LEADERSHIP TRAINING NEEDS AS PERCEIVED BY THE SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS OF FIJI Name of Researcher: Nemani W. Tausere Name and degree of faculty advisor: Edward Streeter, Ed.D. Date Completed: March, 1990 Problem If schools are to improve and become more accountable to the community they serve, relevant leadership training programs that help principals to function more effectively need to be provided. It is important that such training programs address the problems and needs of the principals. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the leadership training needs as perceived by the secondary-school principals of Fiji. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 Method A descriptive survey design was utilized for this study. The Leadership Training Needs questionnaire was sent to all 140 secondary-school principals in Fiji to survey (1) their perceived needs for leadership training, (2) past sources of leadership expertise, (3) sources of assistance for principals, and (4) demographic characteristics. The 110 completed returns were processed by the Andrews University Center for Statistical Services. The SPSS computer program was used in the analysis which yielded frequency, percentages of responses, and mean weight for each of the eight categories of demographic d ata. Findings 1. Educational authors studying school leadership since the early 1970s generally agreed that effective schools were the result of the activities of effective principals who demonstrated strong instructional leadership, created positive school climate conducive to learning, and knew how to manage time and people efficiently and effectively. 2. Secondary-school principals in Fiji expressed high priority need for additional leadership training in the skills of instructional leadership and human relations/staff development. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3 3. The principals who most often expressed the need for additional leadership training were those who were (1) under 40 years of age; (2) Fijian; (3) assigned to medium-sized schools; (4) in charge of secondary high schools; and (5) who had the most recent educational training. 4. Secondary-school principals of Fiji reported that on-the-job experience, teaching experience, and deputy- principalship were their most valuable sources of leadership expertise. 5. In-service training and taking courses at colleges or universities were seen by the Fiji principals as effective sources of assistance in improving leadership skills. Conclusion Secondary-school principals in Fiji are not satisfied with their present level of leadership expertise. While they consider their experience as administrators to be their most valuable source of leadership expertise, they look toward in-service training, and college and university course work as potentially effective means of improving leadership skills. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Andrews University School of Education A STUDY OF THE LEADERSHIP TRAINING NEEDS AS PERCEIVED BY THE SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS OF FIJI A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Nemani W. Tausere March 1990 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. © Copyright by Nemani W. Tausere 1990 All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A STUDY OF THE LEADERSHIP TRAINING NEEDS AS PERCEIVED BY THE SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS OF FIJI A dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy by Nemani W. Tausere APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE: r \ i V t/ Chair:' Edv aiti A. Streeter Gradyfa/te Programs")director: Jerome D. Thayer .------- ' • XL.' i c / Member: D.ivid S. Penner Dean, School of Education: Warren E. Minder S ' — TV--J Me'mfeer i -Asa c . Thoresen " I b L • '^rhuafc^s March 16, 1990 External: RurseliLi Staples Date Approved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF T A B L E S ............................................. vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................... i* Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ..................................... 1 Statement of the Problem ................... 6 Purpose of the S t u d y ...................... 7 Theoretical Framework ...................... 8 Importance of the S t u d y ................... 11 Limitations of the S t u d y ................... 13 Delimitations of the S t u d y ............... 13 Assumptions ................................. 13 Definition of T e rms .......................... 14 Organization of the Study ................... 15 II.- REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ...................... 17 Introduction ................................. 17 Historical Background and Educational System in F i j i .............................. 17 G e o g r a p h y ................................. 17 H i s t o r y ..................................... 18 P o p u l a t i o n ................................. 22 E d u c a t i o n ................................. 23 The Structure of the Educational System . 34 Training of Educational Administrators in the South Pacific .......................... 36 Historical Perspective of the Principalship .............................. 38 Administration and Leadership .... 41 Administration .............................. 42 L e a d e r s h i p ................................. 44