Transformational Styles of Department Heads and Teachers’ Motivation in a Selected University in China

Abstract

The study covered 235 respondents in a description-comparation-relevant design, and assessed that teachers agreed with the idealized influence, intellectual motivation, and personal and inspirational motivation that department heads exhibit in their transformational leadership style. Across all indicators, the highest average score was for the trait of a department head seeking long-term development for the department, while the lowest average score was for accepting ownership of team decisions. Respondents' overall assessments show that they agree with the transformational leadership style of their department heads. Of all the variables, personal considerations ranked first, followed by idealization, intellectual stimulation, and motivational motivation. There was no significant difference in idealization, motivation, intellectual motivation and personal consideration between male and female respondents on the evaluation of transformational leadership style of their department heads. Respondents' responses on how to rate the transformational leadership style of their respective department heads were age-related. In terms of department affiliation, respondents' evaluations of the transformational leadership style of their respective department heads were comparable, regardless of department affiliation.