The Impact of Trust on School Principals' Leadership.

Abstract

The impact of trust on working relationships has become a focus of discussion by educational researchers. However, the role trust plays in the relationship between principal and teacher has seen few studies undertaken and thus forms the basis for this study’s investigation. The primary aim of this study in contributing to educational research focuses on developing an understanding of the conditions that allow trust to develop and those that damage trust from being established or maintained between principal and staff member.
This study is informed by a synthesis of theoretical and educational research of the dimensions of trust, and through a field-study, examination of the impact staff actions have on the maintenance and repair of trust and the impact these actions have on the principal.
The main question of the study is: “What is the impact of trust on school principals’ leadership?”
The first phase of the research design incorporates a literature review to distil the current knowledge of trust, so as to establish a theoretical context for the study. The second phase of the study employs a qualitative research methodology engaging 20 Western Australian school principals in the process of recounting their observations of trust relationships in their schools. The links between phases of the study identify common themes.
The study found that trust plays an important role in the establishment and maintenance of working relationships between school principals and their staff. The findings identify the importance of trust to principals; the conditions that promote and diminish trust in relationships, the outcomes of breaches of trust, and the conditions that allow for trust repair.
The findings are discussed in the light of contemporary research of trust in related fields and recommendations are made for further research.