Perceptions of online credentials for school principals
| Date | 05 July 2011 |
| Published date | 05 July 2011 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/09578231111146461 |
| Pages | 378-395 |
| Author | Jayson W. Richardson,Scott McLeod,Amy Garrett Dikkers |
| Subject Matter | Education |
Perceptions of online credentials
for school principals
Jayson W. Richardson
Department of Educational Leadership Studies, University of Kentucky,
Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Scott McLeod
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies,
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA, and
Amy Garrett Dikkers
Department of Educational Leadership,
University of North Carolina Wilmington, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions of human resource directors in
the USA about online credentials earned by K-12 school principals and principal candidates.
Design/methodology/approach – In this mixed methods study, a survey was sent to a random
sample of 500 human resource directors in K-12 school districts across the USA. Analysis was
conducted on 105 surveys.
Findings – In contrast to a traditional face-to-face format, the majority of respondents reported
beliefs that online courses and online degrees aimed at school principals required less work, were of
lower quality, and could not adequately prepare leaders to tackle state-specific issues. Human resource
directors in rural districts had a more negative perception of online learning, in comparison to their
counterparts in suburban or urban districts. All preparatory courses, except technology leadership,
were reported to be easier taught face-to-face, than online.
Research limitations/implications – Further research should be conducted to determine if and
how these perceptions are shifting. Further research should also be conducted to determine the
influence of location on perceptions of online credentials for school leaders. Comparing perceptions
about online credentials cross-nationally may provide interesting insights and new areas of research.
Practical implications – Implications are for school administration programs, both traditional and
online, that desire to create and build more accepted school administration programs that include
online components.
Social implications – Students increasingly opt for online coursework; students in the field of
school leadership and administration in the USA are no different. This shift to online learning must be
juxtaposed with efforts to maintain quality, improve efficiency, and address the concerns of those
persons who hire these candidates.
Originality/value – To date, no research has been published on the perceived acceptability of online
degrees and online coursework for school principals in the USA.
Keywords Online degrees,Learning, Principals, Surveys,Individual perception, Rural areas,
Urban areas, UnitedStates of America
Paper type Research paper
Technology advancements have changed how the general public views the delivery of
educational content ... or have they? During the Fall 2007 term, almost 3.9 million
students in theUSA were taking at least one online course(Allen and Seaman, 2008). In a
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0957-8234.htm
JEA
49,4
378
Received May 2010
Revised September 2010
Accepted October 2010
Journal of Educational
Administration
Vol. 49 No. 4, 2011
pp. 378-395
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0957-8234
DOI 10.1108/09578231111146461
poll conductedby Zogby International, a pollingmarket research firm that focuseson US
public opinion, 30 percent of adult respondents in the USA said they were currently
taking or have taken an onlinecourse (Zogby, 2008). Looking at these enrollment data, it
is clear that students are increasingly drawn to online learning. What is unclear,
however, is how these online degrees and courses are perceived.
Online learning in the American postsecondary education system continues to gain
popularity, as evidenced by the annual increase in enrollment numbers in online
courses (Allen and Seaman, 2008, 2009a, b). Approximately two-thirds of two-year and
four-year colleges in the USA now offer online, hybrid, or distance education courses.
Nearly one in five postsecondary institutions has at least one wholly online degree
program (Parsad et al., 2008). Competition for scarce tuition dollars from private online
universities such as the University of Phoenix, Walden University, and Cappella
University has forced many traditional US universities (i.e. brick and mortar
institutions) to rethink educational content delivery in an attempt to meet students’
demands for greater convenience, more flexibility, lower costs, and a different kind of
academic and intellectual engagement. There is no reason to believe that these trends
will change in the near future.
Although the expansion of online learning is quite evident, less clear are the views
of gatekeepers who vet those potential candidates who earn all or part of their
credentials online. The current study investigated this issue within the context of
online courses and online degrees for K-12 school principals in the USA. Through this
study, we explore the perception of online learning by human resource directors: those
gatekeepers knowledgeable of interviewing protocol, hiring practices, and
advancement opportunities for school principals.
Review of the literature
There are wide discussions in the field of educational administration and educational
leadership regarding the effectiveness and quality of leadership preparation programs.
There are also many conversations in higher education administration occurring
around quality online degree programs. However, there is very little scholarship at the
intersection of those bodies of literature, where this study is situated. Therefore, we
present a brief overview of both bodies of literature for context before discussing the
few studies that focus on perceptions of online degree programs in the field of
education, broadly, and educational leadership, more specifically.
High quality leadership preparation
Jackson and Kelley (2002) provide a historical background to the current debate taking
place in the USA around the effectiveness of educational leadership preparation
programs, situating it within a National Commission on Excellence in Educational
Administration report from 1987 which detailed deficiencies identified in educational
leadership preparation programs. The core deficiencies clustered around three areas:
connection between the content and pedagogy of programs and the real work of the
profession; lack of participants in underrepresented groups; and a lack of a shared
understanding around “good” educational leadership. Jackson and Kelley continue by
discussing approaches and structures that address these discrepancies, including
problem-based learning, the use of cohorts, collaborative partnerships, enhanced and
intensive field experiences, and the appropriate use of technology.
Perceptions
of online
credentials
379
To continue reading
Request your trial