Control as an Aspect of Group Leadership in Classrooms: A Review of Research

Abstract

A problem with the concept of classroom control as it is frequently used is that it has too many overtones and connotations. This review differentiates among several aspects of teacher leadership behavior that could be included in the concept of teacher control: (1) specific response to deviant behavior. (2) characteristics of the teacher's emotional relationship to the class, and (3) the teacher's structuring of the classroom (i.e., limits imposed on freedom of choice). A precise conceptualization of teacher control is offered based on the concept of boundary control from social systems theory. Research studies on teacher leadership in the classroom are examined for findings relevant to the concept of teacher control as precisely defined. A major distinction is emphasized between the concepts of teacher warmth or emotional responsiveness and teacher control.

Classroom structure, work involvement, and social climate in elementary school classrooms.

“…This hypothesis has been extensively studied in a variety of forms and with an almost equal variety of results. A review of studies pertinent to this hypothesis (Morrison, 1974) has identified two major problems in systematizing findings in this area: (a) inconsistent, occasionally confounded, operational definition of the independent variable and (b) noncomparability of criterion variables across studies.…”

“…•Thcoigh the concepts of classroom structure and teacher control are not completely identical (Morrison, 1974), amount of structure has most often been conceptualized as the degree of control maintained by the teacher over classroom activities (Huston-Stein, Friedrich-Cofer, & Susman, 1977). In social systems theory (E. Miller & Rice, 1967) what the group leader controls are the group boundaries, that is, the conditions of interaction among group members or between group members and the surrounding environment (Morrison, 1975).…”

Teachers as leaders: A moderator variable approach.

“…Most research on leadership has taken place in industrial or military settings, although much has also been conducted in educational institutions to explore the leadership roles of principals and school superintendents, and university department heads, administrators, and presidents (Stogdill, 1974). Recently, however, educational researchers have begun to more fully explore the role of the teacher as a leader (e.g., Dawson, Messe, & Phillips, 1972;Jabs, 1975;Lahat-Mandelbaum & Kipnis, 1973;Larkin, 1973;Morrison, 1974;Sullivan & Skanes, 1974). Because of this increased current interest in the instructor's role as a leader, the purpose of this article is to (a) briefly review literature that suggests that current research on teachers as leaders could be improved by the adoption of a fundamentally different approach and (b) present data that illustrate the potential value of this approach.…”