An experimental study on the effect of feedback from teachers on the behavior of their principals

Abstract

The Problem Background of the problem. Inferior methods of teaching and lack of adequate and systematic supervision were factors considered relevant- to poor achievement in a test of elementary and high school students, as revealed in ”A Survey of Public Schools of the Philippines,” in 1960. The findings seem to confirm that the ills of the present educational system are directly related to incompetent instruction that produces semi-illiterate high school graduates Dr. Bernardino asserts that the public school administrator is the one responsible for the success or failure of the educational enterprise which he is assigned to administer, and he is accountable for the proper and lawful exercise of the functions not only of his office but also of those of his subordinates. This responsibility and accountability exists irrespective of the style of his administration. The continuing deterioration of the educational output both in the elementary and the secondary levels, calls for an evaluation of the administrators’ performance as regards educational leadership. Usually, the task of evaluating principals' behavior is entrusted to superior. Teachers, who are in constant interaction with their immediate superiors, are not asked to participate in the evaluation; but because of this close contact, it is reasonable to involve the teachers to some extent in the evaluation of their administrator's behavior. Will teachers' ratings serve as a valuable feedback to cause change in the principal's behavior? An experimental situation can be designed to answer this question; hence, this study. Statement of the problem. The main purpose of this investigation was to find out the effect of feedback from teachers on the behavior of their principals. Specifically, the study attempted to discover answers to the following questions: 1. Is there a significant change in the behavior of principals receiving feedback from their teachers as compared with those not receiving feedback? 2. In which behavior dimensions of principals is significant change shown after the feedback treatment? Which behavior dimension shows significantly greater increase in mean score, from pretest to posttest? 3. Is the amount of change in the behavior of principals in the experimental group related to: a. sex, b. educational training, c. administrative experience, and/or d. age The following research hypotheses were adopted at the start of the experiment: 1. Principals receiving feedback from their teachers would show significant change in behavior as compared to principals not receiving feedback. 2. Significant improvement in behavior would result after the feedback treatment in each of the four dimensions of principal’s behavior: human relations, leadership, personal qualifications and attributes, and physical characteristics and personality traits. 3. Significantly, more principals would react positively than negatively to feedback from teachers. 4. Sex, educational training, administrative experience and age are related to the amount of change in the behavior of principals.