Links between people and their environment : a study of school principals in the architectural settings of their schools

This study was generated from the research question: \Could one's work related role-personality indicate one's building-related needs?\" The subjects were the principals of Tasmanian schools the settings were the school buildings and the substance was the role-behaviour of the principals and matters related to a new taxonomy of building-related needs. Ball's classifications of the micro-political styles of leadership of school principals to which the educative style was added were adopted for this study. Ching's classifications of spatial organisations were utilised to describe the settings of the school and a theoretical argument was developed in support of the concept of the taxonomy which was based on the structure of Porter's adaptation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Therein psychological security has been linked to identification with place territoriality and control through environmental competence. The psychosocial need for affiliation has been linked to the 'affordances' of the environment and control through proxemics. The esteem needs have been interpreted as the preferred expression of status in the aesthetic style of the school. Autonomy has been linked to the control of one's needs for privacy for one's private office and self-actualisation has been linked to the person/environment fit between the principal and the school as the setting for leadership behaviour. All five styles of leadership were classified among respondents and significant correlations were found between leadership style and building related needs. Emergent matters of some significance affecting the future planning of new schools and the future amelioration of excess stress for principals within the architectural settings of the schools have been highlighted."