42 6. Discipline 7. Flexibility 8. Focus 9. Ideals/beliefs 10. Input 11. Intellectual stimulation 12. Involvement in curriculum, instruction and assessment 13. Knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and assessment 14. Monitor and evaluation 15. Optimize 16. Order 17. Outreach 18. Relationships 19. Resources 20. Situational awareness 21. Visibility The dependent variables are the 21 leadership characteristics measured on the pre-assessment and post-assessment. These are categorical ordinal variables as each characteristic is ranked on a scale of 1 to 5, however, dependent variables were analyzed as scaled values, and validity was measured using Cronbach’s Alpha. The first assumption of the dependent-samples t-test is that observations are independent within groups. In the current study, participants completed the selfassessment without influence from other participants in the aspiring principal program. The second assumption of the dependent-samples t-test is that the difference scores are normally distributed in the population. The difference between the ratings in the self-assessment should be normally distributed in the population (Yockey, 2018). Qualitative data was used to answer RQ2 and RQ3. The current study used phenomenological methodology to answer the two qualitative research questions. Research Question 2 (RQ2) What are the perceptions of assistant principals about the role of the school principal as a result of participating in the aspiring principal program? Research Question 3 (RQ3) What are the perceptions of assistant principals about the impact of the aspiring principal program on their current leadership behaviors? A qualitative analysis of responses was completed using NVivo 15 to identify emerging themes and to further explain the quantitative data and any perceived changes in behavior as a result of participating in the aspiring principal program. The researcher interviewed participants to gain a depth of understanding of participants’ (1) rationale for participating in the aspiring principal program, (2) beliefs about the role of the principal, (3) changes in perceptions about the role of the principal, (4) perception about impactful learning experiences, (5) perceptions about the most important leadership qualities, (6) perceptions about the most important program dimension, and (7) beliefs about activities and lessons to include in future aspiring principal programs. The researcher utilized memoing, or written memos, during the current study to record insights, emerging concepts, and patterns while reflecting on the data (Johnson & Christensen, 2020). Data was segmented into analytical units and coded or marked with descriptive words or categories. The researcher began with open coding to break the data into discrete parts, then moved to key phrases and initial coding to identify themes and connections. The interview transcriptions were converted into Microsoft Word documents and imported into the NVivo 15 software. The interviews were reviewed multiple times and coded by the researcher. NVivo 15 software was used to help identify emerging themes for each qualitative research question (Hilal & Alabri, 2013). Table 1 lists the research questions and the corresponding interview questions. Summary of Findings The participant group consisted of 10 assistant principals. The pre-assessment and post-assessment Lorie Cooper Squalls, Ed.D.
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