Off-campus UNL users: To download campus access dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your NU ID and password. When you are done browsing please remember to return to this page and log out.
Non-UNL users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this dissertation through interlibrary loan.
Engagement Is Everything: Principals’ Perceptions of Their Role in Teacher Engagement a Qualitative Study
Abstract
The effects of student engagement on academic achievement are studied by and large, leaving a lack of emphasis on teacher engagement. In seeking out research and literature on “engagement” and “education,” scholars focus on the importance of student engagement. Numerous studies examine the relationship between student engagement and learning (Carini, et al., 2006). Conversely, exploring teacher engagement and how principals view themselves as responsible for promoting that engagement is a topic that is understudied and will provide recommendations for principals as well as district level leaders. Defined, teacher engagement not only includes the behavior of teachers, but also encompasses “a psychological state” of the teacher (Rutter & Jacobson, 1986, p. 5). Available research concentrating on teacher engagement reveals the impacts it can have on students (Williams, 1996). According to Williams, “teacher engagement is a prerequisite for student engagement” and “teacher’s work and student’s work are linked...” (p. 125). Tim Hodges, senior consultant for the Gallup Organization, contends that teacher engagement is “a key driver of student engagement” (2018, para 4). Teachers influence students. Principals influence teachers. Yet, current literature centered on teacher engagement and the principal’s perception of their responsibility in promoting teacher engagement remains narrow. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the extent to which principals view themselves as responsible for promoting teacher engagement and the actions they take to support it. This study further explores the extent to which principals feel they impact teacher engagement as well as how engagement is maintained. The beliefs and perceptions revealed by building principals will lead to exploration of the behaviors and practices principals put into place to promote and support positive teacher engagement. The proposed study will invite six elementary principals and three secondary principals serving a growing Midwest district to interview and share their perceptions on what they believe their level of responsibility is in promoting teacher engagement as well as actions they take related to it.
Subject Area
Educational administration|Educational leadership
Recommended Citation
Hellbusch, Jennifer K, "Engagement Is Everything: Principals’ Perceptions of Their Role in Teacher Engagement a Qualitative Study" (2022). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI29399068.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI29399068