Teachers as leaders: A moderator variable approach

A review of research on teachers as leaders shows that current approaches have produced unclear and inconsistent results. A new approach--viewing teachers in a situational context--is suggested. 155 students filled out 2 questionnaires; the 1st (administered during the 5th wk of class) contained measures of teacher leadership behavior and student role clarity, and the 2nd (administered during the 10th wk) measured overall student satisfaction with the class. Student performance was also assessed at the 10th wk. It was found that (a) student performance significantly correlated with teacher supportiveness and directiveness under low role clarity but not high role clarity, and (b) the differences in these correlations were statistically significant. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).