Leadership in Online Education: Does it Matter?

This study was completed using a sample of online students at a university in North Texas. The study explored leadership style as a predictor in students' ratings of overall teaching effectiveness, learning, breadth, examinations, and assignments. A Pearson product-moment correlation was conducted to examine the inter-correlations between the leadership styles, the inter-correlations between the four SEEQ factors of Learning, Breadth, Examinations, and Assignments, and the relationship between the four SEEQ factors and the leadership styles. Transformational leadership was highly correlated with transactional leadership and passive avoidant leadership style was negatively correlated with transactional leadership and transformational leadership. The inter-correlation of the SEEQ factors showed that the four factors were highly correlated. Learning and transformational leadership were positively correlated. Breadth and transformational leadership were positively correlated. Examinations and transformational leadership were positively correlated. Assignments and transformational leadership were positively correlated. Breadth and transactional leadership were positively correlated. Examinations and transactional leadership were positively correlated. Assignments and transactional leadership were positively correlated. Passive Avoidant leadership negatively correlated with all four dimensions of the SEEQ. Multiple regression indicated that transformational leadership was a predictor all 4 dimensions – Learning, Breadth, Examinations, and Assignments. Transactional leadership was a predictor for Breadth and Examinations. Student age was a predictor for three dimensions of the SEEQ – Learning, Examinations, and Assignments