Date of Award

10-1-1995

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Teaching & Learning

Abstract

The Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development recommends farming teachers and students into interdisciplinary teams for effective instruction at the middle school level. This creates a community for learning and provides a core of common knowledge. Organizing teachers into teams is the keystone of the middle school structure. Teaming is an organizational innovation that has a dual focus of improving productivity and developing positive psychological outcomes. Leadership within the interdisciplinary teams is essential to the purpose, development, and direction of the team. Without direction, the interdisciplinary team cannot achieve its full potential as an individual organization.The purpose of this study was to determine what middle school interdisciplinary team members and team leaders perceive to be ideal behaviors and characteristics of effective team leaders and the actual behaviors and characteristics of their team leaders. This study determined which behaviors of team leaders are perceived to be effective qualities by team members and team leaders.The methodology was based on a survey instrument called the Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ) to collect data from interdisciplinary team members and their leaders. The populations consisted of team members and team leaders associated with middle schools that have been in existence for at least two years and were located geographically in close proximity to the University of North Dakota. This included the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.The results of this study have provided the middle school interdisciplinary team leaders with a list of desirable and effective leadership behaviors perceived to be effective by the team members and the team leaders.

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