The
PIMRS instrument has been validated as an instrument
providing reliable results in studies of school leadership.
The PIMRS assesses three dimensions of
the instructional leadership construct: Defining the
School’s Mission, Managing the Instructional Program, and
Promoting a Positive School Learning Climate (Hallinger &
Murphy, 1985).
These
dimensions are further delineated into 10 specific
instructional leadership functions. Two functions,
Framing the School’s Goals and Communicating the
School's Goals, comprise the dimension, Defining the
School’s Mission. Managing the Instructional Program
incorporates three leadership functions: Supervising and
Evaluating Instruction, Coordinating the Curriculum,
Monitoring Student Progress. The third dimension,
Promoting a Positive School Learning Climate includes
several functions: Protecting Instructional Time,
Promoting Professional Development, Maintaining High
Visibility, Providing Incentives for Teachers, Providing
Incentives for Learning.
From: Hallinger, P., & Murphy, J. (1985). Assessing the
instructional leadership behavior of principals. Elementary
School Journal, 86(2), 217-248.
The
original form of the PIMRS (Hallinger, 1982) contained
11 subscales and 72 behaviorally anchored items.[ Subsequent
revision of the instrument reduced the instrument to 10
subscales and 50 items (Hallinger, 1984a, 1984b). For
each item, the rater assesses the frequency with which
the principal enacts a behavior or practice associated
with that particular instructional leadership function.
The item is rated on a Likert-type scale ranging from
(1) almost never to (5) almost always. The instrument is
scored by calculating the mean for the items that
comprise each subscale/job function. This results in a
profile that yields data on perceptions of principal
performance on each of the 10 instructional leadership
functions.
Three parallel forms of the
instrument have been developed and tested: a
self-assessment form to be completed by the principal, a
teacher form and a supervisor form. The items which
comprise each form are identical; only the stems change
to reflect the differing perspectives of the role
groups. Numerous studies have found significant
differences in perceptions across role groups.
Validation studies in the United States indicate that
the PIMRS form that solicits teachers' perceptions
provides the most valid data of the three forms.
Sample
Scale Items: Framing the School's Goals
To what extent does your principal . . . ?
1. Develop a focused set of annual school-wide goals
2. Frame the school's goals in terms of staff
responsibilities for meeting
3. Use needs assessment or other formal and informal
methods to secure staff input on goal development
4. Use data on student performance when developing
the school's academic goals
5. Develop goals that are easily understood and used
by teachers in the school