Date of Award
Spring 4-13-2018
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Organizational Leadership
First Advisor
Carol Anderson-Woo, Ed.D.
Second Advisor
Keith Larick,Ed.D.
Third Advisor
Natalie Marchenko-Fryberger, Ed.D.
Abstract
Purpose: This correlation study determined the relationship between the level of servant-leadership practices of department chairs perceived by their foreign language teachers and the level of those same teachers’ job satisfaction within the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) in Monterey, CA.
Methodology: The study employed a quantitative method using descriptive and inferential statistical tests to answer the research questions. The sample population included 165 foreign language classroom teachers within the undergraduate basic language training at the DLIFLC. The data were collected through the Servant Leadership Questionnaire (Barbuto and Wheeler, 2006) and the Teacher Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (Lester, 1982). The bivariate correlations, using a two-tailed Pearson test of correlation coefficients, were computed to assess the degree of relationship.
Findings: Although all aspects of servant leadership are important to teacher job satisfaction, the degree to which department chairs practice servant leadership skills does not relate identically to all factors of teacher job satisfaction. Teachers demonstrated that the most satisfying factor was the opportunity to be accountable for their own work and the opportunity to take part in policy and decision-making activities
Conclusions: The results of the study demonstrate the benefits of applying the servant leadership model to teachers’ job satisfaction. Teachers need first to experience the feeling of being satisfied with their jobs in order to fully contribute to the overall well-being of the DLIFLC. Building a strong culture and practice of servant leadership at all levels would help the Institute to prosper.
Recommendations: Provide continuing professional growth opportunities in the area of servant leadership with a focus on active listening, reflection, and empathy. Conduct a study that compares servant leadership with other leadership styles to determine which leadership style teachers respond to with a higher degree of satisfaction. Some future studies should look at leadership correlated to teacher productivity and/or student results.
Recommended Citation
Murtic, Saliha, "A Correlation Study of Perceived Servant Leadership Practices and Job Satisfaction Among Teachers in a Military Foreign Language Center" (2018). Dissertations. 192.
https://digitalcommons.umassglobal.edu/edd_dissertations/192