The Roles and Attributes of English Department Chairs:An Examination of Leadership Perceptions

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the self-perceived roles and attributes ofEnglish department chairs, and to determine the extent to which they use the knowledge,skills, and abilities (KSAs) they view as important to their effectiveness as leaders. Morespecifically, the purpose of this study was to examine the extent of relationships betweenparticular facets of KSAs and demographic characteristics, such as leadership style,school type, school size, and gender. Facets of KSAs included facilitation of conflictresolution, communication with department members, ability to delegate, supervision ofstaff, working collaboratively toward a common goal, implementation of departmentcurriculum planning, and management of multiple roles. This study was conducted toexplore the relationship among groups in the variables of leadership style, school type,gender, and school size.The purpose of this quantitative non-experimental study was aimed to compareEnglish department chairs’ self-perceived roles and leadership styles in both public andprivate schools in the greater Missouri and Kansas metropolitan areas. In addition, theperceptions of English department chairs in the central states were explored. The samplefor the study included 81 department chairs. Hypotheses were tested using anindependent-samples t test, chi-square tests of independence, Pearson correlations, andFisher’s z tests. The results indicated differences in knowledge, skills, and abilitiesbetween those department chairs who lead in a democratic fashion versus atransformational style, and provided evidence that demographic variables such as gender,school size, and school type did not have relationships with several of the leadershipresponsibilities that department chairs have to manage. One test result, however, indicated a statistically significant difference between the observed and expectedfrequencies of department chairs’ facilitation of conflict resolution activities. Publicschool department chairs facilitated conflict resolution less than what was expected;whereas, private school department chairs facilitated conflict resolution more than whatwas expected. The results indicated a difference in the relationship between Englishdepartment chairs’ perceived knowledge, skills, and abilities and managing changebetween leadership styles, but not for school type, gender, or school size. The resultsshowed that most of the department chairs implemented democratic leadership andengaged in collaborative practices to fulfill their objectives. These results indicatedepartment chairs need professional development, quality mentoring, and relevanttraining for maximum efficiency, and department chairs must deliberately implementcritical leadership elements to fulfill their desired goals. Schools can use the results ofthis study to help their leaders become more competent in their leadership roles.