LOCUS OF CONTROL, LEADERSHIP STYLE, AND MAINSTREAMING AS PERCEIVED BY PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS

Mainstreaming, as implemented by building level principals and teachers, has not been adequately meeting the needs of handicapped students, according to educators. Insufficient knowledge of appropriate placements for handicapped students and less than positive attitudes toward handicapped students have been mentioned as major sources of the problem. Adaptability of leadership style and internal locus of control have been related in theory to the acquisition of knowledge and the formation of attitudes. This study investigated the effects of internal locus of control and adaptability of leadership style on knowledge of appropriate placements for handicapped students and attitudes held toward handicapped students. It measured the perceptions of elementary school principals and regular classroom teachers, regarding these dimensions, in the public school of Westchester County in New York State. The instruments used to collect the data for this investigation were: (1) Different Situations Inventory (Gardner and Warren, 1977), for locus of control; (2) Leadership Effectiveness and Adaptability Description (Hersey and Blanchard, 1973), for leadership style; (3) Rucker-Gable Educational Programming Scale (Rucker and Gable, 1973), for knowledge of appropriate placements for and attitudes held toward handicapped students; and (4) a demographic data sheet devised by the investigator. The major findings of this study were: (1) principals and teachers evidenced a lack of knowledge of appropriate placements for and positive attitudes held toward handicapped students; and (2) principals and teachers subdivided according to the levels of locus of control and adaptability did not significantly differ in the knowledge of appropriate placements for or attitudes held toward handicapped students. It was recommended that this information be used by educators in developing programs to increase knowledge of appropriate placements for handicapped students and in extending positive attitudes toward handicapped students for principals and teachers