Running Head: LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 1

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1 Running Head: LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 1 Is There a Difference in the Perceived Relationship between Personality Characteristics and Leadership Effectiveness between Doctoral Students Pursuing Higher Education or Basic Education Concentration? Noha Hashim Binhashim Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Higher Education Saint Joseph s University Dr. Aubrey Wang 05/05/2015

2 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 2 Is There a Difference in the Perceived Relationship between Personality Characteristics and Leadership Effectiveness between Doctoral Students Pursuing Higher Education or Basic Education Concentration? Background Personality traits are essential in building a person s character. A person s character has the influence over other one persons attitudes and juxtapositions about such a particular person. Traits such as jovialness, friendliness, and warmth are personality traits that pertain to good character. Meanness, abusiveness, and rage etcetera are all indicatives of bad character. To that end, the role of the individual s character in creating popularity is unmistakable. In the same respect, leadership influences the others depending on the virtues and principles of the leader. Therefore, there exists a perception that leadership rather, good leadership should be based on individuals who ascribe to particular character traits such as enthusiasm or charisma. However, opinions on leadership qualities are varied and different factions have a particular definition of what good or appropriate leadership is. Therefore, in respect to ensuring that an individual has the appropriate character traits for leadership, different persons may differ in opinions as to what extent certain character traits amount to good leadership qualities. To that effect, the level of education or the field of study of particular individuals may shape their perceptions on how personality traits contribute to leadership effectiveness. Milunic (2013) for instance argues that leadership skills and knowledge are developed in class by imparting knowledge through experiences in the classroom setting. The differences in opinions in research and literature make it necessary to develop this research in order to understand the underlying factors in perceptions and better describe leadership qualities and character relationships. The aim of this research is thus to investigate variations in perceptions of doctorate students perusing

3 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 3 higher education on the effectiveness of leadership judging from a personality point of view. The views of the doctorate students pursuing higher education will then be compared with the views of doctorate students pursuing basic education. Problem Identification Perceptions shape the way people think and how they make sense of the things and experiences in their surrounding environment. The knowledge of doctorate students pursuing higher education compared to that of doctorate students pursuing basic education presents implications for interpretation of what amounts to good leadership. Education as a discipline requires leadership skills since educators are required to lead their students. To that effect, the perceptions of education curriculum students at the doctorate level is crucial in developing adequate leadership skills that can shape their careers in education. As instructors either in higher education or in basic education, the doctorate students will be mandated with the responsibility of ensuring that students see leadership qualities in them in order to make their leadership effective. In a study that shows doctoral programs are designed to prepare students for leadership positions in education. However, MIlunic (2013) stated that doctoral students develop leadership skills based on the educational experiences that they are exposed to while in the classroom setting. In other study of 242 teachers and paraprofessionals the relationship between the personality characteristics and leadership was evaluated using the Big Five Personality Traits from the book of (Deary, Mathews & Whiteman, 2010) and it showed a relationship between personality and leadership styles (Garcia, Duncan, Carmody-Bubb, & Ree, 2014). In addition, Judge, Ilies, Bono, & Gerhardt (2002) further explored the big five personalitly traits framework and found that relationship between Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, and

4 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 4 Conscientiousness with leadership was significant. Extraversion was the most consistent correlate of leadership across study settings and leadership criteria (leader emergence and leadership effectiveness). Overall, the five-factor model had a multiple correlation of.48 with leadership, indicating strong support for the leader trait perspective when traits are organized according to the five-factor model. Therefore, the research aims to investigate whether or not there are differences in the perceptions of doctorate students pursuing higher education and those pursuing basic education on the relationship between effective leadership and personality traits. The results of the research can be utilized to mold the students into effective leaders based on their perceptions of what good leadership entails. Significance of the Study Teaching whether at college level or at school level (K-12) has but one thing in common: the fact that students look up to their instructor for a sense of direction. Hence, students look up to their instructor so that they can acquire a sense of meaning or purpose for which they take certain actions towards academic achievement. To that end, leadership qualities are essential if instructors are to ensure that their students are adequately guided by their leadership. Therefore, it is important that the doctorate students in education fields are effectively prepared for their role as leaders guiding students once they begin to practice their careers. Thus, the study aims at providing additional information about the uniformity or lack thereof in the perceptions of doctorate students of higher education and basic education. The perceptions of the two sets of students can be compared to evaluate whether or not the two factions share the same ideologies. In essence, the results from the research can be useful for building on past research on similar topics especially in filling gaps on leadership research in the education realm. Moreover, the

5 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 5 results from the study will be utilized to develop recommendations for future studies to better understand perceptions on leadership and the implications that character traits have on effective leadership. Research Question The researcher s question is divided into three questions as follow: - Question 1: Is there a difference in ratings on a personality scale between individuals pursuing K-12 and those pursuing higher education concentration in doctoral studies as demonstrated in the workplace? - Question 2: Is there a difference in ratings on a personality scale between individuals pursuing K-12 and those pursuing higher education concentration in doctoral studies as demonstrated in the home? - Question 3: Is there a statistically significant difference between home and work personality scores based on identified focus area? Research Objectives The overall objective of the researcher is to investigate the extent to which perceptions of doctorate students in higher and basic education differ or align with one another on the issue of perceived effectiveness of leadership based on character traits. However, the specific objectives of the study are as follow: (a) To establish whether a relationship exists between effective leadership and personality characteristics.

6 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 6 (b) To determine whether or not doctorate students in education perceive a relationship between character traits and effective leadership. (c) To develop similarities and differences between the perceptions of doctorate students pursuing higher education and doctorate students pursuing basic education. (d) To help develop appropriate recommendations based on the findings of the research for further research and for implementation in leadership studies for the curriculum in the doctorate of education. Operational Definitions Mentor: A mentor for the purpose of this paper refers to a leader whose leadership intentions are to transfer their leadership traits or qualities to their followers. Transactional and Transformative Leaders: Transactional leaders are those that are associated with negative attributes of character in leadership such as temperamental, emotionally unstable, and abusive. On the other hand, transformational leaders are regarded as those leaders with positive attributes of character such as methodical, observant, caring, and collaborative. Character Traits/ Personality Characteristics: Character traits or personality traits refer to the behavior of the leader with respect to their nature of being. Examples include: jovial, angry, abrasive, and intolerant among others mentioned under the transactional and transformative leaders above. Leadership Effectiveness: Refers to the degree of successfulness in the application of leadership principles by a leader based on their skills and knowledge in leadership. Openness: describes the tendency to be open to experience, intellectually curious, open to emotion, sensitive to beauty, and willing to try new things.

7 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 7 Conscientiousness: describes the tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement against measures or outside expectations. Extraversion: extraverts enjoy interacting with people, and are often perceived as full of energy. They tend to be enthusiastic, action-oriented individuals. They possess high group visibility, like to talk, and assert themselves. Agreeableness: describes the tendency to be agreeable, value getting along with others. Agreeable individuals are generally considerate, kind, generous, trusting and trustworthy, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with others. Neuroticism: describes the tendency to experience negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety, or depression. Literature Review This section entails a review of literary works on the topic of study; it details information about research that was previously conducted on similar topics contributing information that the current study builds on. The literature review helps synthesize the research topic to better understand what implications the study has on the field of education and specifically the implication for understanding leadership as a topic in educational studies. More importantly, the literature reviewed here help delineate margins between past, current, and future studies on the research topic to help interpret the results of the study in line with the aims of the research as presented in the previous chapter. Much of the research conducted by doctorate education students on leadership concerns the teaching practice and the role that students play in various fields to develop their leadership skills. According to MIlunic (2013), doctorate students develop leadership skills based on the educational experiences that they are exposed to while in the classroom setting. To that effect,

8 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 8 the more the experiences teach doctorate students about how to be effective leaders, the higher the chance that such teachers would develop leadership skills. In the words of John Dewey the belief that all genuine education comes through experience does not mean that all experiences are genuinely or equally educative. Hence, not all mentorship outcomes necessarily result in the development of leadership qualities. Mentorship does not necessary equate to the transfer of leadership qualities from the mentor to mentee (Milunic, 2013). In a study to investigate the influence of character on the effectiveness of leadership in the police department, two categories of police chiefs were created and their influence in terms of leadership impact on their staff evaluated. Transformative leaders were described as possessing character traits such as non-judgmental, strong, sensitive, and meticulous. On the other hand, the transactional leaders were found to possess character traits such as: having illogical thoughts, temperamental, and poor in manager of stress. The study found that transformative leaders had impactful influence on their police students which resulted in effective leadership. The same cannot be said, however, for the transactional category of police leaders since effective leadership was not achievable (Sarver, 2008). Narcissistic behaviors or traits do not appeal because they lure subjects to a particular leader s style of leadership. As such, the relationship between leadership effectiveness and the narcissistic nature of a leader s character does not influence leadership effectiveness. Neither does it amount to transfer of leadership knowledge from the leader to his or her subjects (Yocum, 2006). (Salter, Green, Duncan, Berre & Torti, 2010) In this quanitative study was to test the big five model of personality on the leaders for the leadership effectiveness and the sample consisted of undergraduate and graduate students from two university. This study suggests that individuals who possess the Big 5 personality traits of agreeableness and openness to experience are more

9 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 9 suitable to rate leaders who use words of leaders scoring above the mean as transformational leaders. Judge & Bono (2000), in their quantitative study, they apply the big five factors to the leadership effectiveness. The results further indicated that specific facets of the Big 5 traits predicted transformational leadership less well than the general constructs. Finally, transformational leadership behavior predicted a number of outcomes reflecting leader effectiveness, controlling for the effect of transactional leadership. Sentiments by Bahreinina, Lappeenranta and Soltani (2012), indicate that leadership style is directly associated with personality types. Hence, an introvert leader will adopt a more docile approach to leadership while an extrovert leader would be more jovial in terms of influencing those he leads. To that end, leadership effectiveness has a relationship that is correspondent to the character traits of that particular leader. Judge, Ilies, Bono, & Gerhardt (2002) further explored the big five personalitly traits framework and found that relationship between Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, and Conscientiousness with leadership was significant. Extraversion was the most consistent correlate of leadership across study settings and leadership criteria (leader emergence and leadership effectiveness). Overall, the five-factor model had a multiple correlation of.48 with leadership, indicating strong support for the leader trait perspective when traits are organized according to the five-factor model. In a study of 242 teachers and paraprofessionals the relationship between the personality characteristics and leadership was evaluated using the Big Five Personality Traits from the book of (Deary, Mathews & Whiteman, 2010) and it showed a relationship between personality and leadership styles (Garcia, Duncan, Carmody- Bubb, & Ree, 2014).

10 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 10 In principle, several factors have come up in the development of the literature review where a discussion of various issues that pertain to the research topic are presented. The literatures reviewed here in set the stage for understanding the past, the present, and possibly the future of research regarding leadership effectiveness and the influence of character traits. To that effect, the literatures reviewed herein have established inquiry into the relationship between leadership effectiveness and character traits on the one hand. However, the relationship between hierarchy of position and level of education has comprised the focus of debate on leadership and its effectiveness. Notably, none of the literatures reviewed combines both aspects to develop an understanding of the relationship between educational achievement and perceptions in leadership effectiveness based on character traits. Hence, the intention of this research is to fill in the gap left in previous research and contribute to the vast knowledge currently exiting in educational research. Methodology This section begun with an identification and description of the research design and the rational for why this design is the appropriate one to the research question. This identification followed by a description of the participants of this study. Then a description of information and data gathering techniques, instruments, and treatments itemized. This followed by an explanation and description of the procedure used in this study. Finally, the information and data analysis procedures of this research study is discussed. Research Design This study examines the experiences of two routes of participants prior to receiving their doctoral degree. The study used a quantitative approach, where the researcher typically tries to measure variables in some numerical way, perhaps by using commonly accepted measures of the

11 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 11 physical world or carefully designed measures of psychological characteristics or behaviors (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013, p. 95). The research adopted quantitative approaches of data collection in that the interpretation of the phenomena shall use figures as a means to analyze the phenomena and present conclusive outcomes on the research topic. Dependent variables in the research are perceptions of doctorate students while the independent variable in the research is the character traits of leaders. To that end, the research shall employ the use of questionnaire that will detail questions on leadership traits and the effectiveness of leadership. The questionnaires shall then be administered to the respondents to fill in within stipulated deadlines and submit them for analysis. A survey approach to the collection of data for the study is appropriate as it provides a reflection of the opinions of the respondents using the numbers of respondents supporting a particular stance as a means to evaluate outcomes (Pendley, 1985). In addition, the survey research, which will be used in the study involves acquiring information about one or more groups of people perhaps about their characteristics, opinions, attitudes, or previous experiences by asking them questions and tabulating their answers (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013, p. 189). Therefore, the appropriate approach for this study is the survey research. Participants Respondents selected to take part in the study is on voluntary basis. However, the researcher had convenience sample total of 20 respondents from either of the two categories: doctorate students pursuing higher education and doctorate students pursuing basic education. The 20 participants to the study were composed of IDEPEL doctorate students for Cohort XI. To that effect, the researcher had selected 10 respondents from the cohort pursuing higher education concentration while the other 10 comprised those pursuing basic education concentration. It is

12 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 12 upon the researcher to ensure that variations in demographics are represented evenly among the respondents chosen to participate in the study. Hence, issues such as gender and race were left at the discretion of the researcher to balance the identification of respondents to partake in the study. Role of the Researcher In this quantitative study, the role of the researcher is theoretically non-existent. In this research study participants act independently of the research as if the researcher was not there. In the quantitative study and survey research, the research tries to avoid the biases and remove the subjectivity from the study. Quantitative studies ideally should be repeatable by others and, under the same conditions, should yield similar results (Punch, 1998). The researcher in this study developed a research survey to distribute to on the participants to get their opinion and experiences about personality characteristics and leadership effectiveness. The researcher believed that these experiences enhance her awareness, knowledge, and sensitivity to the issue being addressed in this study and assisted her in working with the key participants. Although every effort made to ensure objectivity, the researcher s personal bias may shape the way she views and understands the data. She recognized the need to be open to the thoughts and opinions of others and to set aside her experiences in order to understand those of the participants in the study. In addition, the role of the researcher is to avoid the biases in the research study. In this research study, biases resulted from several causes: 1- Other factors may influence the leadership effectiveness other than the personality characteristics. Since this study is to focus on specific factors that effect leadership

13 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 13 effectiveness, there may be other possible factors in the literature for other studies that can affect leadership effectiveness. 2- The population of this study was limited to Saint Josephs University only. The bias has occurred because the sample was selected as convenience sample choose from Cohort XI and include several nationalities. In addition, the sample had different genders, different ages and different mentalities. Also, most of the students were working in education and have job experiences in education for many years. 3- The study was biased because the sample size is small compared to the original number of all students enrolled at Saint Joseph s University s doctorate level in the education major and only 20 students were tested. There are two ways to control the biases in this research project: 1- To distribute the survey to all doctoral students and all cohorts in the field of education. 2- To control the bias of the sample by using the statistical analysis data such as correlation, descriptive, partial correlation and linear regression from the SPSS. Data/ Information Collection The research question for the study lent itself to the collection of different types of data. The research question that drove the study was divided into three questions as follows: Question 1: Is there a difference in ratings on a personality scale between individuals pursuing K-12 and those pursuing higher education concentration in doctoral studies as demonstrated in the workplace?

14 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 14 Question 2: Is there a difference in ratings on a personality scale between individuals pursuing K-12 and those pursuing higher education concentration in doctoral studies as demonstrated in the home? Question 3: Is there a statistically significant difference between home and work personality scores based on identified focus area? For these research questions, the data that collected was separated into two parts: the students pursuing higher education concentration and the students who pursuing basic education concentration. The study approach is quantitative phase that focused on the collection of data regarding the relationship between personality characteristics and leadership effectiveness from the doctoral students who are pursuing higher education and basic education. The survey was based on distributing questioners in hard copies. It included three parts; the firstly was demographic information; secondly was rating scale and questions about the workplace; finally was rating scale questions about the home environment. For the phase of the study, a survey instrument was created for both types of the doctoral students. The design included questions intended to gather demographic data such as gender and age. Although, there were more than 50 doctoral students at Saint Josephs University and all of them were separated into either higher education or basic education, a convenience simple was used to select 20 doctoral students, as there were two different education concentrations. Therefore, the sample selected 10 respondents from the cohort pursuing higher education concentration while the other 10 will comprise those pursuing basic education concentration. This allowed for good sample representation. In addition, the years of experience, job and position were concerned in the survey questions.

15 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 15 Information and Data Analysis and Interpretation process After all data has been collected from the respondents in the filled in questionnaires, the researcher embarked on data analysis and interpretation. The gathering data from Saint Joseph s University students has analyzed in correlation, descriptive, partial correlation and linear regression tables to examine the hypothesis. In that regard, the researcher used data that collected by using a survey adapted from a book of Deary, Mathews & Whiteman, The question adapted from the big five personality traits, which are: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Additional demographic questions were added to help analysis. The interpretation compared the differences in the perceived relationship between personality traits and leadership effectiveness whether or not their major concentrations differ in higher education from the basic education and if there is a significant relationship or it is due instead to random chance. For better interpretation of the results, the researcher used tables and graphs to develop percentage variations between respondents opinions. Ultimately, the results of the analysis that interpreted and discussed provided conclusive remarks on the research topic. The Variables Included in the Analysis The independent variables of this study were concentrations on higher education and the basic education (k-12). For the dependent variables were based on the personality traits as follow: O Level of perceived openness at home & workplace. O Level of perceived conscientious at home &workplace.

16 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 16 O Level of perceived extravert at home & workplace. O Level of perceived agreeable at home & workplace. O Level of perceived neurotic at home & workplace. Description of the Analysis After all data that has been collected from the respondents in the filled in questionnaires, the researcher embarked on data analysis and interpretation. The gathering data from Saint Joseph s University students were analyzed in correlation, descriptive, partial correlation and linear regression test to examine the hypothesis. Results This section presents data results and analyzes of data collection for this study. The data collected in this study uses quantitative statistics based on survey results. These results are presented using the descriptive statistics to check the means, correlation to check the relationship between the concentrations and perceived each personality traits of the big five model, linear regression for significant correlate = < 0.05, and the partial correlation. In the study, the researcher used the data which was collected from the students who pursuing higher education and who pursuing basic education and analyzed first by using the descriptive statistics. The researcher used the descriptive statistic to show the mean to describe the sample with a single value that represents the center of the data. The median and the mean both measure central tendency. But unusual values, called outliers, affect the median less than they affect the mean. When we have unusual values, we can compare the mean and the median

17 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 17 to decide which is the better measure to use. If our data are symmetric, the mean and median are similar (Salkind, 2011). Table 1 Descriptive Statistics N Minim um Maximum Mean Std. Deviation -Educational background Concentration DO YOU PERCEIVE YOURSELF AS AN EFFECTIVE LEADER AT YOUR WORKPLACE I m OPEN IN MY WORKPLACE ENVI I m conscientious when in my workplace envi I m an extravert when at work I m neurotic when at work

18 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 18 I m agreeable when at work I m open in my home envi I m conscientious when in my home envi. I m an extravert when in my home envi I am agreeable when in my home envi I m neurotic when in my home envi Valid N (listwise) 19 In Table 1, as shown we can see that calculated the means for all but neurotic = >3 is good and for neurotic = < 2 is good. Therefore, the mean for all variables are good calculated. The research used the pearson correlation coefficient calculator to measure the strength of a linear association between two variables, where the value r = 1 means a perfect positive correlation and the value r = -1 means a perfect negative correlation.

19 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 19 Table 2 Correlations Concentration I am conscientious when in my workplace environment. I am conscientious when in my home environment. Concentration Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N I am conscientious when in my workplace environment. I am conscientious when in my home environment. Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N In Table 2, the data shows that there is no correlation between concentrations and perceived conscientious at home environment. It shows also that there is no correlation between concentrations and perceived conscientious at workplace environment.

20 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 20 Table 3 Concentration I am an extravert when at work. I am an extravert when in my home environment. Pearson Correlation Correlations Concentration I am an extravert when at work. I am an extravert when in my home envi Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation ** Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation ** 1 Sig. (2-tailed) N In Table 3, the data shows that there is no correlation between concentrations and perceived extravert at home environment. It shows also that there is no correlation between concentrations and perceived extravert at workplace environment.

21 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 21 Table 4 Concentration I am agreeable when at work I am agreeable when in my home environment. Pearson Correlation Correlations Concentration I am agreeable when at work I am agreeable when in my home envi Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N In Table 4, the data shows that there is no correlation between concentrations and perceived agreeable at home environment. It also shows that there is no correlation between concentrations and perceived agreeable at workplace environment.

22 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 22 Table 5 Concentration I am neurotic when at work I am neurotic when in my home environment. Pearson Correlation Correlations Concentration I am neurotic when at work I am neurotic when in my home envi Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation ** Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation ** 1 Sig. (2-tailed) N In Table 5, the data shows that there is no correlation between concentrations and perceived neurotic at home environment. It also shows that there is no correlation between concentrations and perceived neurotic at workplace environment.

23 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 23 Table 6 Concentration I am open in my home environment. I AM OPEN IN MY WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT Pearson Correlation Correlations Concentration I am open in my home environment. I AM OPEN IN MY WORKPLACE ENVIRONMEN T * Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation * Sig. (2-tailed) N In Table 6, the data shows that there is no correlation between concentrations and perceived open at home environment. However, it shows that there is a statistically significant correlation between concentrations and perceived open at workplace environment. Because of this relationship, the researcher has done another test, which is linear regression for the significant that = or < 0.05.

24 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 24 Table 7 Model ANOVA a Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. 1 Regression b Residual Total a. Dependent Variable: Concentration b. Predictors: (Constant), I AM OPEN IN MY WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT

25 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 25 Table 8 Model Coefficients a Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients B Std. Error Beta 1 (Constant) I AM OPEN IN MY WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT t Sig a. Dependent Variable: Concentration

26 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 26 In Table 7 & 8, the data shows that there is a significant correlation between the concentration and level of perceived open at workplace. Therefore, the researcher has done another test, which is partial correlation to explore the relationship between two continuous variables while controlling for another variable that it might be influencing or contaminating the relationship. In this case, the researcher was trying to find out the relationship between concentrations and perceived open at workplace environment while controlling for the affect of educational background. Table 9 Descriptive Statistics Std. Mean Deviation N Concentration I AM OPEN IN MY WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT Educational background

27 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 27 Table 10 Correlations Control Variables Concentratio n I AM OPEN IN MY WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT Educational background -none- a Concentration Correlation Significance (2- tailed) df I AM OPEN IN Correlation MY Significance (2- WORKPLACE tailed) ENVIRONMENT df Educational Correlation background Significance (2- tailed) df Educat Concentration Correlation ional Significance (2- backgr tailed)..112 ound df 0 17 I AM OPEN IN Correlation MY Significance (2- WORKPLACE tailed).112. ENVIRONMENT df 17 0 a. Cells contain zero-order (Pearson) correlations. In Table 9 &10, the data shows that There was a moderate, negative, partial correlation between concentration and perceived open at workplace, controlling for educational background, r = -.37, n = 18, p <.005, with high levels of concentrations being associated with lower levels of

28 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 28 perceived open at workplace. An inspection of the zero order correlation (r = -.44) suggested that controlling for educational background responding had very little effect on the strength of the relationship between these two variables. A- In the top half of the table is the normal Pearson product-moment correlation matrix between the two variables (concentrations and perceived open at workplace), not controlling for the other variable. In this case, the correlation is The word none in the left-hand column indicates that no control variable is in operation. B- The bottom half of the table repeats the same set of correlation analyses, but this time controlling from (taking out) the effect of the control variable (the effect of the educational background). In this case, the new partial correlation is We should compare these two sets of correlation coefficients to see whether controlling for the additional variable had any impact on the relationship between the two variables. In this case, there was only a small decrease in the strength of the correlation (from to -.377). This suggests that the observed relationship between concentrations and perceived open at workplace is not due merely to the influence of educational background responding. Discussion Conclusion The results of this study conclude that there was no difference in the perceived relationship between personality characteristics and leadership effectiveness between doctoral students pursuing higher education concentration or basic education concentration. Based on the analyzing of the data in this study, it proved that it did not support the research questions, which are as follow:

29 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 29 Question 1: Is there a difference in ratings on a personality scale between individuals pursuing K-12 and those pursuing higher education concentration in doctoral studies as demonstrated in the workplace? After analyzing the data, the result showed that there was no statistically significant correlation between the personality scale between individuals pursuing K-12 and those pursuing higher education concentration in doctoral studies as demonstrated in the workplace. Question 2: Is there a difference in ratings on a personality scale between individuals pursuing K-12 and those pursuing higher education concentration in doctoral studies as demonstrated in the home? After analyzing the data, the result showed that there was no statistically significant correlation between personality scale between individuals pursuing K-12 and those pursuing higher education concentration in doctoral studies as demonstrated in the home. Question 3: Is there a statistically significant difference between home and work personality scores based on identified focus area? After analyzing the data, the result showed that there was no statistically significant correlation between home and work personality scores based on identified focus area. Limitation Some limitations were anticipated and efforts were taken to minimize them as much as possible. The first limitation of the study was the sample size. In the study, the sample size was 20 students divided into two categories of concentrations, which were the higher education and the basic education. To avoid the bias, the sample size preferred to be at least 30 students for

30 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 30 each concentration. Also, the sample was all from Saint Joseph s University and to avoid the bias, the sample preferred to be from at least two different universities. In addition, the survey questions were limited in the demographic section. Therefore, the result to be not limited, some more additional demographic questions about the educational background types and years of experiences in which fields may apply to the survey questions. Suggestions for Future Research Although the study has three research questions, the results did not support them all. However, for the future research, the research can add more questions to find out the correlations such as Is there a correlation between leadership effectiveness and doctoral concentrations?. Besides, the partial correlation was only between the concentrations and perceived of personal traits while controlling for the effect of educational background. Therefore, for the future research, the research may add more correlation to find out how the type of work experiences effects personality traits on leadership.

31 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 31 References Bahreinian, M., Lappeeenranta, M. A., & Soltani, F. (2012). The Relationship between personality type and leadership style of managers: A case study. Mustang Journal of Business & Ethics, 3, pp Breckenridge, M. B. (2000). An exploration of the factors that influence leadership effectiveness in a corporate environment. Ann Abor, MI: University Microfilms International. Garcia, M., Duncan, P., Carmody-Bubb, M., & Ree, M. J. (2014). You have what? Personality! Traits that predict leadership styles for elementary principals. Psychology, 5(3), doi: /psych Giovanisci, k. V. (2012). Pennsylvaniap public school vive principals' perceptions about formal and informal mentoring structures and the effective transfer of leadership, knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Ann Abor, MI: University Microfilms International. Judge, T. A., & Bono, J. E. (2000). Five-factor model of personality and transformational leadership. Journal Of Applied Psychology, 85(5), doi: / Judge, T. A., Ilies, R., Bono, J. E., & Gerhardt, M. W. (2002). Personality and Leadership: A Qualitative and Quantitative Review. Journal Of Applied Psychology, 87(4), Milunic, M. (2013). The Experience of learning to teach: A study of a traditional and an alternative teacher certification route in relation to John Dewey's theory of experience and education. Ann Abor, MI: University Microfilms International.

32 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 32 Salter, C., Green, M., Duncan, P., Berre, A., & Torti, C. (2010). Virtual communication, transformational leadership, and implicit leadership. Journal Of Leadership Studies, 4(2), doi: /jls Sarver, M. B. (2008). Leadership and effectiveness: An examination of the leadership styles of Texas police chiefs and the corelates of the most effective leaders. Ann Abor, MI: University Microfilms International. Salkind, N. J. (2011). Statistics for people who (think they) hate statistics (4 th Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN: Yocum, R. (2006). The moderating effects of narcissism on the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness, moral Reasoning and marginal Trust. Ann Abor, MI: University Microfilms International.

33 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 33 Appendix A Survey on Personality Characteristics and Leadership Effectiveness The purpose of this survey is to gather information about IDEPEL students perceived leadership effectiveness and personality characteristics. By completing this survey you are consenting voluntarily to be a participant in this research with the understanding that the results will be used for a class project and will remain confidential. Directions: Please take 5-8 minutes to answer the following questions. Once completed, please return to Noha Binhashim. Demographic Information: Circle the correct answer and answer the questions: 1- Gender: M - F 2- Age: (in years) 3- Do you have any children? (please pick one) Yes No If yes, how many children do you have? 4- What is your educational background, (e.g. BA in Sociology and MA in Global Leadership ) My BA/BS is in My MA/MS is in 5- What is your area of concentration at IDEPEL: Higher Education K Are you working: Yes, what is your job and position? No, have you ever been worked before? - Yes No 7- What was your job and position? 8- How long have you been working? 9- Do you perceive yourself as an effective leader at your workplace? Yes No Why do you think so? Agreement scale: Read each statement carefully and reflect on how strongly you agree that the action described is reflected in your own practice. Use the rating scale below to score your level of agreement-place your score in the box to the right of the statement. This scale is diagnostic in its purpose as a selfassessment tool. It will help highlight practices in which you are strong, and those that you might

34 LEADERSHIP BASED ON CHARACTER TRAITS 34 need to further develop an educational research. Therefore, we ask that you be realistic, accurate, and honest in your scoring. The Rating Scale: 4- Strong agreement 3- agreement 2- Disagreement 1- Strong disagreement Read the definitions carefully, these definitions came from Personality traits book for (Deary, Mathews & Whiteman, 2010): 1- Openness: describes the tendency to be open to experience, intellectually curious, open to emotion, sensitive to beauty, and willing to try new things. 2- Conscientiousness: describes the tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement against measures or outside expectations. 3- Extraversion: extraverts enjoy interacting with people, and are often perceived as full of energy. They tend to be enthusiastic, action-oriented individuals. They possess high group visibility, like to talk, and assert themselves. 4- Agreeableness: describes the tendency to be agreeable, value getting along with others. Agreeable individuals are generally considerate, kind, generous, trusting and trustworthy, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with others. 5- Neuroticism: describes the tendency to experience negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety, or depression. Use the 1 4 rating self-rating scale to score your level of agreement place your score in the box to the right of the statement. Part I: Questions about the workplace. 1 - I am open in my workplace environment. 2 - I am conscientious when in my workplace environment. 3 - I am an extravert when at workplace environment. 4 - I am agreeable when at workplace environment. 5- I am neurotic when at workplace environment. Part II: Questions about the home environment. 1 - I am open in my home environment. 2 - I am conscientious when in my home environment. 3 - I am an extravert when in my home environment. 4 - I am agreeable when in my home environment. 5 - I am neurotic when in my home environment. THANK YOU