Assessing the measurement properties of the principal instructional management rating scale: A meta-analysis of reliability studies

In a recent paper Hallinger (2011) reviewed 135 empirical studies that had employed the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) over the prior three decades. The author concluded that the PIMRS scale appeared to have attained a consistent record of yielding reliable and valid data on principal instructional leadership. However, given the focus of the review, little detail was provided on measurement results related to the PIMRS instrument. In light of the extensive past and current use of the PIMRS, the current paper seeks to provide a comprehensive and detailed picture of reliability results. More specifically, the authors present a meta-analysis of reliability results derived from 43 data sets derived from of 43 independent empirical studies in which the PIMRS had been employed for data collection. The main contribution of this paper lies in elaborating on and updating information regarding the measurement properties of the PIMRS, the most widely used scale in the study and assessment of principal instructional leadership. This information will be useful for researchers who are planning empirical studies of leadership and learning as well as practitioners who have a need for reliable measures of principal instructional leadership. Copyright © 2012 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.