Leadership: The Effect of Gender on the Openness in Experience and on the Practices of Educational Leadership in Differentiated Teaching

Abstract

In last decades researches have been undertaken on educational leadership and the linking of the various leadership models with the improvement of school units. Leader's characteristics are an important factor in the leadership's interpretation. The aim of the present study was to look for possible differences in the behaviors of the educational leadership: (a) differentiated teaching on the kinesthetic type of intelligence and the cross-thematic content, (b) the personality trait, the openness in experience of male and female principals, and (c) assess the impact of personality traits, receptivity to experience, behaviors of educational leadership in diversified teaching with regard to the kinesthetic type of intelligence and the cross-thematic teaching content. The survey involved 194 principals from all regions of Greece. The quantitative analysis of the data confirmed the practice of teaching practices in differentiated teaching on the kinesthetic type of intelligence and the cross-thematic content by women to a greater extent but not statistically significant. Differences between the male and female principals were statistically significant in the personality trait “Openness in experience” in favor of women. The "Openness in experience" feature interpreted 12.3% of the "Instructional leadership in kinetic cross-thematic approaches", F (1, 192) = 26.909, p <0.001. This study is of great importance for the selection and training of primary school unit principals in guiding differentiated teaching, in terms of learning profile and cross-thematic content.