This research intended to closely examine the leadership that can maximize teacher efficacy by clarifying the relationship between principals' leadership type and teacher efficacy. In order to attain this goal, this paper set the following research problems: First, is there any difference in principals' leadership type, depending on teachers' background variables? Second, is there any difference in teacher efficacy, depending on teachers' background variables? Third, is there any correlation between principals' leadership type and teacher efficacy?
In order to solve the research problems, this research distributed a questionnaire to 354 teachers of 27 schools in the eastern part of Jeollanamdo (Yeosu, Suncheon, Gwangyang). In order to measure principals' leadership type, Yang Seung-Min (2004)'s measuring tool was used. In order to measure teachers' feeling of efficacy, this research made up for the scale developed by Shin Eun-Ah (2005). And this research obtained the following results:
First, principals' leadership that elementary school teachers perceived was significantly different depending on the teachers' background variables, such as gender, education, experience, the location of schools, and the size of schools. Male teachers, high school-graduate teachers, the teachers with 25-year teaching experience, the teachers working in eup and myeon areas, and the teachers working for small schools perceived principals' leadership high.
Second, elementary school teacher efficacy was significantly different, depending on the teachers' background variables, such as gender, education, and experience, but it was not significantly different, depending on the location and the size of schools.
Third, the principal’s leadership type has been shown to influence the teacher efficacy. That is, the feeling of self-control efficacy and the preference over task difficulty went up as a leader's leadership increased, but self-confidence went down as a leader's leadership increased.
In conclusion, teacher efficacy relies on situations. So it should be researched jointly with situational variables, and it can be said that a principal's leadership can improve the feeling of self-control efficacy and the preference over task difficulty. So principals should strive to improve teachers' self-confidence by properly understanding each teacher's level and setting his/her expectation on each teacher appropriately.