The research question investigated asked if a significant difference exited between the leadership effectiveness of nurse anesthesia school administrators on the basis of the type of master's level postgraduate education received by these administrators. The hypothesis tested held that nurse anesthesia school administrators with master's of nursing administration degrees will have higher leadership effectiveness levels that will those nurse anesthesia school administrators with master's of management or master's of administration degrees, who, in turn, will have higher levels of leadership effectiveness than will those nurse anesthesia school administrators with master's degrees in clinical nursing specialties, who, in turn, will have higher levels of leadership effectiveness than will those nurse anesthesia school administrators with master's degrees in fields not directly related to nursing or administration/management.
The top three administrators at each of the 91 nurse anesthesia schools in the United States were asked to voluntarily participate in this study. Those administrators who agreed to participate constituted the research sample for this study. The participation rate was 27.7 percent, which created a potential sample size of 75 respondents, of which six failed to return the demographic questionnaire, and three returned incomplete LEAD Self questionnaires; thus, reducing the size of the sample to 66 respondents. The relationship between leadership effectiveness and the type of master's degree post graduate education received was analyzed through the application of analysis of variance procedures to the appropriate data. Statistical significance was established at the p<.05 level of probability.
With respect to leadership style, the quantitative outcome was not statistically significant, and, as the null could not be rejected, the hypothesis was, by inference, rejected. To further investigate the tested relat...