Date of Award

Fall 12-2022

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

School

Education

Committee Chair

David Lee

Committee Chair School

Education

Committee Member 2

Kyna Shelly

Committee Member 2 School

Education

Committee Member 3

Noal Cochran

Committee Member 3 School

Education

Committee Member 4

Lilian Hill

Committee Member 4 School

Education

Abstract

Principals and teachers must work together for students to be academically successful. Teachers directly influence the students, and principals directly affect the teachers. Before students' success can occur, the principal and teachers must have a relationship. The development of trust begins with leaders who have quality relationships with their teachers (Bryk & Schneider, 2002). When teachers trust their principals, teachers are loyal and develop self-efficacy. According to Lacks and Watson (2018), teacher self-efficacy is developed through significant interactions with the principal, making teachers feel better about themselves and their collective mission, and they become more effective in the classroom. Trust in principal/teacher relationships also affects teachers' intent-to-persist. Satyanarayana et., al (2017) found that the relationship quality between staff and their principals significantly influences staff productivity and loyalty. The principal's leadership determines the relationship with the teachers. According to Bryk and Schneider (1996), teachers in schools rich in relational trust have a higher sense of “loyalty to their school, interest in continuing to work there, and a willingness to speak well of the school to others” (p. 23).

This study aims to determine if the presence of relational trust in principal/teacher relationships correlates with teacher efficacy and intent-to-persist. The framework used for this study is Bryk and Schneider's Relational Trust Theory. This quantitative study uses Pearson's correlation to analyze the teachers' perceptions of relational trust with their principals, self-efficacy, and intent-to-persist.

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