Role and Function of Eethylene Response Factor in Different Plants under Multiple Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

These stresses effect crop production and quality, thus result is in economic lose and food insecurity. Many factors play vital role in regulating growth of plants along with developmental pathways during biotic and abiotic stresses. Transcription factors are proteins that control physiological, developmental and stress responses in plants. Ethylene response factors belong to the biggest family of transcription factors, known to participate in various stress tolerance like drought, heat, salt and cold. They are significant regulators of plant gene expression. The objective of this review is to present how ethylene response factor family proteins became the focus of stress tolerance as well as the development and growth of plants.

Effects of the Leadership Style of Principals of Efficacy of Teachers and Student Achievement

The present study aimed in finding out leadership style of school principals, and the relationship of leadership style flexibility and effectiveness with collective teacher efficacy and student achievement. It also focused on finding out the differences, if any, between leadership style flexibility and leadership style effectiveness of male and female principals, and the differences between collective efficacies of teachers working under principals with different leadership styles. The difference in achievements of students studying under principals following different leadership styles was also examined. In total 19 null hypotheses were formulated. The population comprised Army Public Schools and Colleges located in all the eleven regions throughout Pakistan. The sample taken was a population sample. Data regarding school principals’ leadership style, style flexibility and style effectiveness were obtained through the instruments of Leader Behavior Analysis (LBA-II Self and LBA-II Other). Data regarding collective teacher efficacy were obtained using Collective Efficacy Scale (CE-Scale) and the data on student achievement grade were obtained through results of students who appeared in the SSC annual examination conducted by Federal Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education, Islamabad (FBI&SE) in the year 2008. Parametric statistical techniques including correlation, t-test and ANOVA were used to analyze the data. The key conclusions based on the descriptive and inferential statistical evidences of the study indicated that there was consistency between the perception of school principals and their teachers regarding the leadership style, style flexibility and style effectiveness of school principals. Participating was perceived as the primary leadership style of the majority of school principals; Selling was the secondary leadership style, while Delegating was perceived as the developing style. The school principals’ leadership style flexibility and effectiveness were inversely related with each other as well as with collective teacher efficacy. It was concluded that school principals’ leadership style flexibility was inversely related student achievement. However, principals’ leadership style effectiveness and student achievement were positively related. Collective teacher efficacy and student achievement were positively related, thereby concluding that more collective teacher efficacy may result in higher student achievement. No difference was noted between collective efficacy of teachers working under principals with different leadership styles. There was no difference observed between achievement scores of students who were studying under principals following different leadership styles.