Career resilience and self-efficacy of Greek primary school leaders in times of socioeconomic crisis

Abstract

Educational leaders are trying to adapt to day-to-day changes by developing career resilience and self-efficacy to successfully meet their leadership roles, in times of deep socioeconomic crisis. This paper investigates the levels of career resilience and self-efficacy of principals of primary school units, identifies the relationship between them and determines the effect of the demographic elements of the sample on their career resilience and self-efficacy. The Kodama Career Resilience Scale (2015) was used to measure career resilience, while Tschannen-Moran and Gareis’ Principal Self-Efficacy Scale (2004) was used to measure self-efficacy. The results of the survey showed that principals have high levels of career resilience and very high levels of self-efficacy. There are four factors that form the levels of career resilience: a) problem solving skills b) social skills c) interest in innovation and d) optimism for the future. Demographic factors play a role in shaping career resilience as they affect two of the four factors. There are two factors that shape levels of self-efficacy: (a) self-efficiency in administration and (b) self-efficiency in moral leadership. Demographic factors play a role in shaping the factor of self-efficacy that refers to administration. Finally, there was a high positive correlation and a causal relationship between career resilience and self-efficacy.