Confirming a Middle Grades Leadership Model and Instrument

Abstract

The purpose of this replication study was to confirm a model of middle grades principal leadership, Developmentally Responsive Middle Level Leadership (DRMLL), proposed by Brown and Anfara (2002) through the validation of the Middle Level Leadership Questionnaire (MLLQ), which was developed by Anfara, Roney, Smarkola, DuCette, and Gross (2006) to measure DRMLL. In this study, the principal form of the MLLQ was administered to middle grades principals in the State of Georgia. A factor analysis indicated the constructs of the principal form of the MLLQ support DRMLL, providing further confirmation of this model of leadership. However, the results of this study indicate principal responses and constructs may differ from those of teachers. The principal form of the MLLQ may provide an effective research tool to examine how antecedents, such as professional development, affect principal practice and how principal practice affects mediating factors to student achievement, such as teacher efficacy.