Examining the relationship between school administrators' reading motivation, self-efficacy perceptions and professionalism

The characteristics of a school administrator affect the overall performance of the school and the academic success of the students. In this context, the reading motivation of school administrators is important for keeping up with new research and practices in the field of education, as well as for following current developments related to their profession. Additionally, a school administrator's self-efficacy perception reflects their confidence in their abilities. Therefore, high reading motivation and self-efficacy perception can help a school administrator provide more effective leadership by believing in their ability to continuously learn and develop. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between school administrators' reading motivation, self-efficacy perceptions, and professional professionalism. In line with this aim, the question "What is the relationship between school administrators' reading motivations, self-efficacy perceptions, and levels of professional professionalism?" was sought to be answered. This study was designed using the correlational design, one of the quantitative research methods. The population of the study consists of school administrators working in official public schools at the primary, secondary and high schools under the Ministry of National Education in Manisa province during the 2022-2023 academic year. The sample of the study comprises 177 school administrators selected through convenience sampling. For data collection, the Personal Information Form, the Adult Reading Motivation Scale developed by Schutte and Malouff (2007) and adapted to Turkish culture by Yıldız, Yıldırım, Ateş, and Çetinkaya (2013), the Professional Professionalism Scale for School Principals developed by Yazıcı and Akyol (2021), and the School Principal Self-Efficacy Perception Scale developed by Tschannen-Moran and Gareis (2004) and adapted to Turkish culture by Baltacı (2020) were used. The data collected through these scales were analyzed using the Jamovi program. An independent t-test was applied for binary independent groups, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied for three or more independent groups. Pearson correlation test was used to determine the relationship between school administrators' reading motivation, self-efficacy perceptions, and professional professionalism. Additionally, hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to determine how self-efficacy perceptions predict professional professionalism when reading motivation is controlled. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that school administrators' self-efficacy perceptions were higher compared to their professional professionalism perceptions and reading motivations. Furthermore, a significant, positive, and low-level relationship was found between school administrators' reading motivations, self-efficacy perceptions, and levels of professional professionalism. Another significant result of the study is that the predictive effect of school administrators' self-efficacy perception scores on their professional professionalism level scores is statistically significant and explains 42.2% of the variance in the dependent variable. When reading motivation is included in the analysis, it is seen that the effect of the reading motivation variable on school administrators' professional professionalism levels is statistically positive and significant, explaining 1.4% of the variance in the dependent variable on its own. Among the predictor variables, while self-efficacy perceptions are more prominent in the relative importance ranking concerning the professional professionalism of school administrators, reading motivations are much less significant. It is recommended that school administrators share examples of those who have made a difference by applying the knowledge gained from reading articles or books to practice. This can help them realize the contribution of following current educational studies and transforming readings into practical applications to their level of professional professionalism. Keywords: School Administration, School Administrators, Reading Motivation, Self-Efficacy, Professionalism.