Off-campus UMass Amherst users: To download dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your UMass Amherst user name and password.
Non-UMass Amherst users, please click the view more button below to purchase a copy of this dissertation from Proquest.
(Some titles may also be available free of charge in our Open Access Dissertation Collection, so please check there first.)
What's in it for the leaders: A study of middle school interdisciplinary team leadership
Abstract
The dual focus of attracting and retaining teachers in classroom positions and encouraging them to improve has been central to the school improvement literature. Review of research in teacher retention and improvement finds results consistent with a theory of employee motivation developed by Frederick Herzberg--the two-factor theory. The same factors that lead to dissatisfaction in other jobs seem to dissatisfy teachers; likewise, the satisfiers that encourage improvement in other settings motivate teachers as well. Previous research on middle school organization has suggested that team membership provides some of the satisfiers suggested by Herzberg's work and it would appear that team leadership could provide more of them. In order to explore the role of team leader, eighteen teachers from three suburban Massachusetts middle schools were interviewed in depth to determine what they expected to gain from team leadership, the benefits and frustrations from serving in the role, and the conditions in the schools that were related to the benefits and frustrations. Although there were differences among the schools, results indicate that teachers seek the position in order to have more influence over how the teams function. Some have specific practices they want to change, others simply want to guide the team. The most identified benefits are having influence on policies of the team and the school, receiving additional money, and being "in the know." The major frustrations are resistance from team members and lack of time to perform the duties of the job. The duties and responsibilities of team leadership are most related to the benefits and the frustrations. Serving as the liaison between teachers and principals either informally or through team leaders meetings, coordinating team meetings and the team process, and coordinating interdisciplinary activities are benefits when the process goes well. These same duties lead to frustration if there are difficulties engaging team members or insufficient time to complete the tasks involved. The study concludes with an examination of the results in terms of the two-factor theory, some reflections, suggestions for middle school organization, and directions for further research.
Subject Area
Educational administration
Recommended Citation
Nowers, Deborah Kimball, "What's in it for the leaders: A study of middle school interdisciplinary team leadership" (1992). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9233121.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9233121