Being a school principal is not an easy job. There never seems to be enough time to devote to
everything and everyone that need attention. The days are often long and mentally exhausting.
Research suggests that for principals, finding a healthy balance between work and family life can
be challenging. The purpose of this study was to explore the topic of how the principalship
affects work-family balance. An online survey was conducted, which asked principals to report
their perceptions regarding their personal levels of work-family conflict. A total of 310
principals across the state of Indiana participated in the survey. The results were analyzed both
descriptively and inferentially. Principals’ demographics were compared statistically to their
reported levels of work-family conflict, revealing several areas of significant difference,
shedding light on the topic of principals’ work-family conflict. This research is important as it
adds to our knowledge of the demanding role of school principal, and assists future and current
principals in their efforts towards finding balance between work and family. This dissertation
outlines all of the areas that were found to be statistically significant, discusses the implications
of these results, provides recommendations for practitioners, and makes suggestions for further
research.
Keywords: principal, work-family conflict, work-family balanceDepartment of Educational LeadershipThesis (D. Ed.
