WELLBEING
This two-stage research project is a joint undertaking
between Sevenoaks School and Buckinghamshire New
University. The first stage will examine the relationship
between teachers’, in particular mathematics
teachers’, leadership styles and pupil self-perceptions
of performance, motivation, and wellbeing, while
the second stage will investigate the association
between the leadership style of Sevenoaks School
senior management team and teacher motivation and
wellbeing.
Data was collected on the former in the academic year
2018/19 and will be the subject of this article, while
data on the latter will be collected and analysed in the
academic year 2019/20.
Methodology
Ethical approval for the study was obtained from
Buckinghamshire New University Ethics Committee in
January 2019. Student participation was designed on an
opt-out basis and a letter to the parents/guardians of all
1,092 (2018/19) Sevenoaks School students was sent in
February 2019, with a two-week deadline to opt-out of
the study. Only two parents/students opted to do so.
Investigating the
association between
teacher leadership style
and student performance,
motivation and wellbeing
Paul Parham, Teacher of Mathematics
Introduction and Background
Previous research in industry and higher education
has shown a strong, statistically significant correlation
between employer/university leadership style and
employee/student performance, motivation, and
wellbeing. In particular, an inclusive style of leadership,
with attributes such as individualised consideration,
inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and
empathy, have been shown in these settings to have
a strong positive influence on wellbeing.
However, similar research has not yet been conducted
with students in the secondary school environment,
either in the UK or internationally, and, as such, to the
best of our knowledge, this is the first academically-
rigorous quantitative study to investigate the association
between teacher leadership style and student
performance/wellbeing in this setting.
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The study consisted of students completing a
previously-validated anonymous online multiple
choice questionnaire. The questions consisted of four
demographic questions on student gender, country of
birth, year group, and race/nationality, 34 questions
concerning the perceptions of students about the
leadership style of mathematics teachers at Sevenoaks
School in their experience (the exposure/independent
variables), and 12 questions focused on students’
perceptions of their own productivity, motivation, and
wellbeing in mathematics (the outcome/dependent
variables), with students asked to select their responses
based on a Likert scale.
Both positively and negatively phrased questions were
included. Data collection commenced on 26 March
2019 and completed on 3 August 2019, with students
either completing the questionnaire at the start of a
mathematics lesson or as an assigned task out of school
hours.
Results and Analysis
In total, 721 students completed the questionnaire,
resulting in an overall response rate of 66.0%. The
number of responses by year group (and response
rates) were 78 (96%), 70 (85%), 121 (72%), 120 (74%),
86 (54%), 119 (56%), and 127 (56%) for Years 7, 8,
9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, respectively. Student missing
data either resulted from student illness on the day of
data collection, opt-out, technological barriers, non-
completion if the questionnaire was set as an online
task, or student absence due to study leave.