Date of Award

12-2023

Document Type

Action Research Project

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Education

Department

Education, Montessori

First Advisor

Nadhira Hathotuwegama

Department/School

Education

Abstract

This action research paper examined the impact of an uninterrupted work period on a school leader’s sense of self-efficacy. The subject of this self-study was the Assistant Head of School at a private, non-profit Montessori school in the Southeastern United States. The interventions took place over five weeks, each consisting of a planned 90-minute work period without interruptions or distractions. The participant was instructed to use the time to focus on a project that required concentration. The subject reported their feelings of self-efficacy and job satisfaction on surveys throughout the study period to measure if they increased their feelings of self-efficacy and possibly attained a flow state during the work period. The results showed only a minimal increase in reported self-efficacy and job satisfaction, possibly because the subject reported high levels of both before the study began. Although the study did not definitively answer the research question, it presented some surprising data about the subject’s feelings of anxiety and suggested that the interventions increased alertness. The data highlighted the importance of preparation in self-studies where the researcher is also the subject. More thorough preparation by the researcher could have resulted in a larger pool of data and increased opportunities to achieve the flow state. Future research could explore how to build uninterrupted work periods into the workday and how to design settings to promote the flow state.

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