PRESENTATION OF SELF BY EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATORS: A STUDY IN SELF‐MONITORING

This study is aimed at testing hypotheses regarding relationships between self‐monitoring of educational administrators and a number of personal, organizational, and community variables. Using the Self‐Monitoring Scale, data were collected from a random sample of superintendents and principals of schools in Illinois. After establishing discriminant validity of the S‐M Scale, multiple regression was used for data analysis. The central finding is that urbanity of the community, cost per pupil, and age of the administrator are significant predictors of self‐monitoring. An important implication is that behaviour of high self‐monitoring administrators may be viewed as having both positive and negative effects in regard to the extent to which they can exercise personal judgment and follow their own convictions. A couple of issues are raised for which further research is needed.