Technology Leadership and Teachers' Perceptions of the Principal Technology Leadership Role

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine principal’s technology leadership and teachers’ perceptions of the principal’s technology leadership role in a school setting. A purposeful sample of 123 principals and 126 teachers located throughout Region IV were solicited to completed modified versions of the Principal Technology Leadership Assessment (PTLA), and semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten principals and teachers to learn more about the perceptions of both groups regarding the principal’s technology leadership role. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were used to analyze the quantitative data, while an inductive coding process was used to analyze the transcribed interviews. The quantitative findings revealed that there are significant differences between what principals are doing and what teachers believe they should be doing as technology leaders, with the greatest differences among the Leadership & Vision and Support, Management, and Operations sub-scale activities. The interview data revealed four emerging themes: resources, support, technology self-efficacy, and challenges. Based on the qualitative findings, principals need to ensure they provide resources and evaluate their effectiveness, and teachers need to feel supported by principals and provided with opportunities to collaborate. Additionally, technology self-efficacy improves with regular use of technology, and challenges that must be addressed include a lack of/an overabundance of resources, buy-in, and communication. The researcher concludes the study with implications and recommendations for future research based on these findings.