Contributions of Doctoral Educational Leadership Programs to the Development of Leader Self-Efficacy

• In Event: Developing and Sustaining Resilient Equity-Focused Leaders

Abstract

Principals prepared through a doctoral degree have been found to be more effective leaders than those without a doctoral degree and may be more able to build high-quality teacher teams resulting in higher academic student gains. The connection between participating in a doctoral program and building leader self-efficacy is not understood. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the perceptions of education doctoral program alumni who were currently school leaders regarding what contributed to their development of leader self-efficacy. The results of this study may contribute to positive social change by providing insights for faculty and programs into how leader self-efficacy can be developed to enable effective leaders to influence teacher efficacy and improve student academic outcomes.

Author

• Lori Kall, Point Loma Nazarene University