EXPLORATION AND COMPARISON OF EFFICACY AND MINDSET PERCEPTIONS HELD BY 9-12 SCHOOL LEADERS AND TEACHERS

This quantitative study sought to determine the efficacy and mindset perceptions of current school leaders and teachers within public high schools. This study highlighted a discrepancy in efficacy and mindset among educators for each other. Firstly, school leaders feel they make a difference, but teachers do not hold the same level of belief in leadership’s ability to make a difference. School leader perceptions of self-efficacy have increased significantly since 2008. Lastly, teachers’ perceptions of school leader efficacy and teacher mindset correlated, meaning a significant portion of variance in teacher perceptions of school leadership efficacy can be predicted by the mindset held by the teacher toward capacity to grow in ability and talent. However, school leaders’ perceptions of self-efficacy and teacher mindset did not correlate, suggesting school leader self-efficacy beliefs do not predict their beliefs in teacher growth potential. Over the years, the terms “efficacy” and “mindset” have been thoroughly researched; however, never in a context surrounding school leaders’ and teachers’ perceptions of each other’s capabilities. Therefore, this study sought to explore and compare school leaders’ and teachers’ perceptions of efficacy and mindset for each other to gain insight into the workplace environment within educational 9-12 systems.