Leadership styles, effectiveness and cognitive moral development

• Main Author: Faypon, Mary Rosella U.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1988
• Subjects: Leadership; Cognitive psychology; Moral development; Educational Leadership
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/627
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study investigates the relationships between the level of cognitive moral development of leaders and their leadership styles and effectiveness. The descriptive correlational method of research was used in this attempt to investigate relationships between the level of cognitive moral development of leaders and their styles and effectiveness. It compared Reddin's 3-Dimensions of Leadership effectiveness theory with Rest's modification of Lawrence Kohlberg's Theory on the stages of cognitive moral development. A 10 percent national sample of secondary private and public school principals enabled comparison of the leadership styles of school administrators in both sectors and their levels of cognitive moral development. Each school administrator was asked to complete a survey containing 3 parts: 1) the Reddin Educational Administrative Style Diagnosis Test 2) the Rest Defining Issues Test and 3) the Personal and Organizational Data Form, seeking data concerning experience and education. Statistical techniques used in the treatment of data were sample mean, sample standard deviation, frequency counts and regression analysis. The general hypothesis that the level of cognitive moral development is related to the leadership styles of the principals was only weakly supported. Partial correlation methods revealed that controlling for age and administrative experience yielded significant correlations.From the findings, the study concluded that the Rest - indices of not significantly relate to Reddin's 3-D theory of administrative effectiveness. Effectiveness as an administrator, then, do not hinge on one's level of cognitive moral development. This does not lend support to the theory being tested. However, there were two significant relationships that were unique to the whole groups. Most notable were the correlations between age and administrative experience with the Rest indices. Controlling for age and administrative experience were the most common control factor affecting relationships. It reached the .01 probability level. The overall effect of controlling for these factors was slight indicating that the relationship between leadership variables and developmental variables is only slightly affected by the two controlling variables. Perhaps a wider sampling of principals or samples taken from leaders from a variety of professions, government agencies, and businesses would yield different results. With these factors in mind, it is possible to conclude that while the study provided no conclusive evidence that a relationship exists between various dimensions of leadership activity and the principal's level of cognitive moral development, additional studies are needed to decide the question.