Date of Graduation

1997

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the relationship between the self-perceived preferred brain hemispheric processing of West Virginia public school superintendents and their self-perceived leadership styles. Respondents completed the Hermann Brain Dominance Profile, the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire, and a demographic sheet. Data were analyzed using the General Linear Model of the Statistical Analysis System (SAS). Two hypotheses guided the study. West Virginia public school superintendents who perceive themselves as preferring predominantly left hemispheric processing will have significantly higher Initiating Structure scores than superintendents who perceive themselves as predominantly right hemispheric. West Virginia public school superintendents who perceive themselves as preferring predominantly right hemispheric processing will have significantly higher Consideration scores than superintendents who perceive themselves as predominantly left hemispheric. Data did not appear to support the first hypothesis. Data did appear to support the second hypothesis. Seventeen superintendents had preferences for left hemispheric processing, 11 superintendents had preferences for right hemispheric processing, and five superintendents preferred neither left nor right hemispheric processing and were considered to be integrated. Of the 17 superintendents who were left hemispheric, only 6 preferred task-oriented leadership styles. Of the 11 right hemispheric respondents, nine preferred people oriented leadership styles.

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