Leadership Styles in Special Education

Abstract

Purpose: This study focuses on the exploration of leadership styles adopted by principals of special schools. The study also examines the degree of teachers’ job satisfaction. In addition, the study aims to explore the possible relationship between the leadership style adopted by school principals and the level of teachers’ job satisfaction.

Methods: Towards this scientific purpose a qualitative research was administered, among 69 teachers who work in 5 special schools in Northern Greece. For the purpose of this study, questionnaires consisting of closed-ended questions were used.

Results: The results of this study demonstrate that teachers who work in special schools favor to work with a principal who adopts the transformational leadership style, who maximizes the teachers’ sense of autonomy and constitutes a source of inspiration. In addition, this study demonstrate that when the school principal adopts the transformational leadership model as well as the democratic leadership style, then teachers’ job satisfaction is enhanced.

Implications: Findings indicated that transformational leadership is the basis upon significant educational and organization issues should be addressed. Future research could also include school principals’ responses so that it is possible to compare the responses of these two different groups -both principals and teachers- and study possible differences.

Keywords: Leadership styles, job satisfaction, selection criteria, special education

JEL Classification: I12, I20, I28