Date
12-16-2025
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Sara Geary
Keywords
leadership styles, transformational, laissez-faire leadership, school culture, transactional leadership, transformational leadership, bivariate linear regression, high school
Disciplines
Educational Leadership
Recommended Citation
Andrews, Michelle, "A Quantitative, Predictive Correlational Design Study Examining the Relationship Between School Principal’s Transformational, Transactional, and Laissez-faire Leadership Style and School Culture in a Public High School" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7868.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7868
Abstract
The purpose of this quantitative, predictive correlational design study is to examine how well the school principal's transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership style predicts school culture among public high schools in eastern Maryland. This study is important because a principal’s leadership style can have a direct impact on school culture, and understanding that relationship could influence student achievement, teacher satisfaction, and overall school effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to add to the literature regarding the impact of a principal’s leadership. The study uses a convenience sample of 73 teachers from traditional public high schools in the eastern region of Maryland. Data are gathered through the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and School Culture Survey, which are sent via email using a SurveyMonkey link. IBM’s SPSS software is used to perform three bivariate regressions to analyze the predictive relationship between the transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles and school culture. The results of the bivariate regression reveal a statistically significant predictive relationship between the three leadership styles and school culture. Based on the inferential statistics, the researcher rejects all three null hypotheses that state there is no predictive correlation between a school principal’s leadership styles (transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles), as measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, and the criterion variable (school culture), as measured by the School Culture Survey. A detailed and comprehensive conclusion is provided based on the findings. It is recommended that future research include larger, diverse populations, different measurement tools, varied methodologies, and multiple educational levels.
