The Dark Side of Leadership: Teacher Perspectives of Principal Mistreatment

Abstract

This article, the first empirical study of its kind, presents findings from a larger qualitative study of teacher perspectives of principal mistreatment. A grounded theory method was used to study a sample of 50 U.S. teachers who believed they were subjected to long- term mistreatment from school principals. The authors briefly discuss descriptive, conceptual, and theoretical findings about principals' actions that teachers define as mistreatment. The harmful effects of such mistreatment on teachers psychologically/ emotionally and physically/physiologically as well as on classroom instruction and relationships with colleagues are more fully discussed. Implications of study findings are discussed for administrator and teacher preparation, professional educators, and further research.