The Role of a School Leader in Academic Outcomes: Between Self-efficacy and Outcome Expectations

Abstract

This quantitative study investigated the relationships among elementary school principals’ efficacy beliefs (Instructional, Moral, and Management Leadership), principals’ goal expectations for student achievement (expected outcome), and their impacts on actual student achievement. Two hundred and fifty elementary school principals completed an electronic survey seeking information on their self-efficacy, school outcome expectation, actual school outcome, and personal and school demographics. Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory guided the study. Findings show higher significant correlations between principal outcome expectation and actual school academic outcome compared to self-efficacy expectation and actual school academic outcome. Regression analysis revealed that unlike self-efficacy expectation, outcome expectation predicted actual school academic outcome.