Degree Name
EdD (Doctor of Education)
Program
Educational Leadership
Date of Award
December 1991
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the academic leadership as portrayed in the American academic novel from 1950 to 1990. Leadership positions from higher education (president, vice-president, dean, and chairperson) were examined in this analysis of 40 academic fiction novels. The leader behavior of the selected characters was classified, using the following categories: autocratic (telling), democratic (selling), participative (participating), delegative (delegating), situational (varying) and "other" (unclassifiable due to lack of information or criteria variance). The finding was that the majority of academic leaders, in the novels studied, behaved using an autocratic (telling) leadership behavior. Also, the majority of the selected novels were written from the viewpoint of a professor; however, the autocratic image of the administrators was considered accurate from the professorcharacter's point of view. The results of this study should prove useful to educational institutions in deciding the usefulness, choice, planning, and implementation of leadership training for academic administrators. The introduction of leadership methods in education would be warranted to effect the future leadership performance of educators and, eventually, improve the leadership image of academic administrators.
Document Type
Dissertation - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Barnett, Laura T., "An Examination of the Leadership of Administrators in Higher Education As Represented in the American Academic Novel from 1950 to 1990" (1991). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2881. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2881