Personality and resilience characteristics of preschool principals: an iterative study

Abstract

Purpose: This article reports findings from an investigation of the personality traits and resilience of a sample of preschool principals in Greece. It parallels an earlier investigation of primary school principals and compares the findings. As before, the investigation was designed to search for relationships between respondents’ personality characteristics and resilience strengths, and also for differences associated with sex, age, and years of service in the principalship. Once again, the “Big-Five Inventory” and the “Leadership Resilience Profile” were used. These outcomes, together with the demographics of the sample, suggested that Greek preschool principals may have unique dispositions, and therefore, may have unique professional-development needs and leadership preferences. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative survey was used to gather the data from a sample of 100 pre school teachers. The “Big Five Inventory” and the “Leadership Resilience Profile” were the instruments used. Findings: It was found that the sample’s personality characteristics and resilience strengths differed somewhat from norms reported in the literature. Furthermore, the findings concerning relationships between resilience and personality did not align clearly with other researchers’ findings. Originality/value: Resilience and personality characteristics as determinants of successful school leadership. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.