Perspectives of Teachers on the Relationship of Principals' Leadership Styles

on the Performance of Pasonanca Elementary School

Jufe C. Partosa

A. Chapter I

1. Background of the Study

Leadership is the process of influencing the activities of a group of individuals by a

leader to achieve a common goal (Nworgu, 1991). School leadership is the process of enlisting

and guiding the talents and energies of teachers, pupils, and parents toward achieving common

educational aims. School leadership influences what happens in the core business of the school

i.e. teaching and learning. It influences the way students perceive, teachers organize and conduct

their instruction and their educational interactions with and expectations for their students

(Mulford, 2003).

School leadership is offered by principals also referred to as head teachers who play the

role of administrators in schools. They are viewed as the chief executive officers with the role of

coordinating the efforts of people in the schools towards the achievement of the schools’

educational goals. These goals relate to teaching, learning and the overall growth of children and

the youth. They act as the professional advisors to the board, leaders of reforms, managers of

resources and communicators to the public. School leadership is therefore concerned with pupils,

teachers, the entire school community and the rules, regulations and policies that govern the

school system.

School leadership enhances learners’ outcomes through creation of an environment where

learning permeates the institution culture. This means that a school leader is able to promote a

shared vision, mobilize people, lead curriculum and pedagogical practice, administrate
effectively and reflect critically on all practice in the institution. He or she needs to be involved

with teachers in seeking to promote quality learning for all learners.

School leadership involves inspiring and supporting others towards the achievement of

the school vision which is based on clear personal and professional value. Essential functions of

school leadership involve traditional competencies of integration, coordination, assimilation of

details, capacity for multi-perspectives, diplomacy and core-business competency. School

principals therefore have to embrace the best practices to be effective and efficient by creating

and sustaining a competitive school. Principals have to develop and implement strategic school

improvement plans and provide instructional guidance to improve learning.

Good school leadership demands that both staff and students have a big role to play in

decision making as far as school rules, regulations and programs are concerned. This should be

done through staff meetings, students’ council, clubs, committees and organizations involved in

running the school. According to research highly successful leaders develop and count on

leadership contributions of others in the organization through distributed leadership. Principals

count on key teachers for such leadership along with their local administrative colleagues

(Horde, Steigelbauer and Hall, 1984).

School leadership should encourage and provide for the professional growth of the

teachers. Through planned educational seminars, conferences and in-service education programs

teachers can improve immensely on their performance. All the school decisions and procedures

must be consistent with the underlying policies of education and the philosophy of the school.

These decisions should aim at achieving the set objectives and goals of the school. The whole

spirit and morale of the administration should be optimistic in its effort to make the school goals

a reality.
 The principal as the chief executive is the overall in charge of the school and is

responsible for the quality of the school. S/he supervises the whole school programs and bears

the ultimate responsibility for the overall school performance, proficiency and effectiveness

including the competency of all school programs (Wango, 2006). S/He should understand the

departmental programs and work closely with all the teachers through consultation on issues of

mutual interest to the school like games and sports, other co-curricular activities and

examinations. The school head should be well informed and experienced on the school system

and should have an orientation to the whole school program.

Republic Act No. 9155, Chapter 1 Section No. 7, Letter E, Paragraph 3 states that

consistent with the national educational policies, plans and standards, the school heads shall have

the Authority, Responsibility and Accountability (AuRA) in managing all affairs of the school.

Thus, the success and failure of the school depends of the kind of school principal it has.

It simply means that the lives of the school principals are packed with challenges. What

matters most is the manner how these are dealt with. Hence, school leadership in the context of

School Based Management is very challenging. It requires a paradigm shift, from the traditional

way of management. It also requires change, collegiality, teamwork, and even efficiency and

effectiveness. These new challenges require school principals to take on new leadership skills in

quality development and quality assurance. They also highlight the need for more focused and

systematic school leadership training and development programs to enhance the quality of school

leadership they already possess.

The school head as an administrator must be efficient and responsible. As the leader of

the teaching staff he has the responsibility of promoting effective teaching in the school. This he

does by ensuring that the employer appoints qualified and competent teachers in his school. He
should also be a highly competent and skilled person in modern techniques of classroom

instruction, human relations, delegation of responsibilities and communication (Mbiti, 2007). He

is responsible for the assignment of tasks and duties to the staff and ensuring that each person

performs his or her duties satisfactorily through constant supervision.

To achieve the curriculum implementation goals, the principal must have an

understanding of the teacher and the teacher’s roles and must always be prepared to work

effectively with the teacher. He must maintain discipline among the teaching staff and the

students which he must do with tact, fairness and firmness.

The principal also ensures that each teacher is given an opportunity to satisfy his

leadership aspirations by delegating duties and responsibilities to the staff. He should know that

his employer the ministry of education or its agency the TSC expects quality work, loyalty and

integrity from him. He therefore has to maintain a strong liaison with the ministry or its agencies

such as the school board. A responsible school head must keep the trust bestowed upon him by

his employer and be exemplary as a teacher.

When it comes to human relations the school head is in a key position to influence the

human factors of morale. He must be able to analyze the social and community setting including

power structures and pressure groups in order to get support for the school programs. The

headteacher has to be accountable to the community, know it well to make them interested in

what their children are doing in school (Mbiti, 1974).

Failure to master their leadership roles and lack of proper induction and training on

school leadership is probably the single most frequently encountered reason why most school

headteachers fail to achieve school goals and objectives. Effective leadership is a tool which

school principals should use to raise subordinate efficiency and improve on performance.
 Leadership styles is the way leaders deal with these. There are many different leadership

styles and this research will only focus on autocratic, democratic, and laissez fairre leadership

styles.

A democratic leadership style emphasizes group participation in the making of policies.

Decisions about the organization are arrived at after consultations and communication with

various people in the organization. The leader attempts as much as possible to make each

individual feel that he is important in the organization. Communication is multi-directional while

ideas are exchanged between employees and the leader (Heenan and Bennis, 1999). The leader

delegates responsibility to those with appropriate qualification, experience and time. In this style

a high degree of staff morale is enhanced.

Autocratic Leadership style also referred to as authoritarian leadership style, is where

power, authority and decision making reside in the leader. The autocratic leader directs group

members on the way things should be done. The leader does not maintain a clear channel of

communication between him or her and the subordinates. He or she does not delegate authority

or permit subordinates to participate in policy making (Hoy and Miskel, 1992).

Laissez fairre is referred to as a lack of leadership within the organization. Principals who

undertake this approach evade making decisions and solving problems, are absent when needed,

and fail to follow-up with requests for assistance.

Research has shown that in schools where practices like delegation, staff involvement in

the decision making process, clear communication, human relations and modern instructional

techniques are observed, school performance has improved greatly. Unfortunately, it has been

alleged that in some schools, principals abdicate their duty and separate themselves from

responsibility and authority entrusted to them in heading schools leading to school’s poor
performance especially in the School-Based Management Assessment. The Division of

Zamboanga City has been advocating and religiously checking on the results of SBM

Assessment for each school in the division. The study therefore hopes to find out if the school

administrator’s leadership style has a relationship on the performance of the school based on its

SMB Assessment Result as perceived by teachers.

2. Statement of the Problem

Since, principals just come and go in the situation of DepEd schools it could be better if

teachers will know what kind of leader’s style they would want their principals to show. Just

like now, PES is facing a new stage of adjustment and transition period since a new principal has

been assigned this January 2019. For the new principal to do his job well and deal with the

teachers well it would be better if teachers will understand his leadership style and vice versa

which might also have a relationship with the performance of school. Hence, this research will

focus on the relationship of the school administrator’s leadership style (autocratic, democratic,

and laissez faire) on the performance of the school as perceived by the teachers.

3. Research Questions

By conducting this study, the researcher addressed the following overarching research

questions:

1. What leadership styles (democratic, autocratic, and laissez faire) have the teachers in PES

experienced among the principals who handled their school for 3 consecutive terms?

2. Which of these styles is most commonly practiced by the principals as perceived by the
 teachers?

3. What is the performance of PES based on the SBM Assessment Result?

4. To get a higher SBM Rating, what leadership style should be practiced based on the

perception of the teachers?

5. Research Objectives

The purpose of this research was to find out the leadership style experienced by PES

teachers through their principals for three consecutive terms, the relationship of the different

leadership styles (democratic, autocratic, and laissez faire) of a principal to the performance of

the school as perceived by teachers, and which leadership style is do teachers perceived as a

contributing factor which will help PES achieve a higher SBM rating.

6. Conceptual Framework

Leadership in a school organization is a source of motivation that acts as a force that

drives the human resource to work hard to achieve high performance. This study is

conceptualized on the variable the principal’s leadership style possibly affects the performance

of PES as perceived by the teachers. The focus was on the principal’s leadership style which is
the independent variable. The leadership style whether autocratic, democratic or laissez faire

used when carrying out the roles of curriculum supervision, finance and business management,

school plant and resource management, pupils and staff management and school community

relations propels teachers to perform. Hence, teachers’ perception on the leadership style and its

possible relations to the high performance in SBM was the dependent variable in this study.

7. Significance of the Study

This study helped the principals know the teachers’ perception on which style they must

practice for PES to achieve high performance.

The results also helped the teachers in Pasonanca Elementary School - Sta. Maria District,

assess themselves what kind of principal is best effective for the school.

This also helped the school, its administrator and teachers determine its best practices,

provide the school a sound basis on which to establish its plan of action, improve the SBM

support systems through interventions that the school and determine the effectiveness of SBM

practices in the delivery of basic education services.

8. Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms pertain to topics of leadership style and school culture. Definitions are taken

from various research essays and provide further understanding of significant topics discussed

throughout this review.

Leadership. Leadership is the capability to motivate others through application of ability and

resources. Leadership can be viewed as a way in which influence and support is managed to
promote strengths and efforts of oneself or others (Eyal & Roth, 2010).

Leadership style. the underlying needs structure of the headteacher that motivates his or her

behavior in various leadership situations.

Principal. the leader of a school charged with the role of directing and coordinating the

approved school curriculum, finances, students and staff in the school, the school plant and

equipment and school community relations. Used interchangeably with headteacher.

Democratic. It emphasizes group participation in the making of policies. Decisions about the

organization are arrived at after consultations and communication with various people in the

organization. The leader attempts as much as possible to make each individual feel that he is

important in the organization. Communication is multi-directional while ideas are exchanged

between employees and the leader (Heenan and Bennis, 1999). The leader delegates

responsibility to those with appropriate qualification, experience and time. In this style a high

degree of staff morale is enhanced.

Autocratic. It’s also referred to as authoritarian leadership style. This is where power, authority

and decision making reside in the leader. The autocratic leader directs group members on the

way things should be done. The leader does not maintain a clear channel of communication

between him or her and the subordinates. He or she does not delegate authority or permit

subordinates to participate in policy making (Hoy and Miskel, 1992).

undertake this approach evade making decisions and solving problems, are absent when needed,

and fail to follow-up with requests for assistance.

School-Based Management (SBM). SBM underscores the empowerment of key stakeholders in

school communities to enable them to actively participate in the continuous improvement of

schools towards the attainment of higher pupil/student learning outcomes.

B. Chapter 2 - Review of Related Literature

The Concept of Leadership

Leadership is the process of influencing the activities of a group of people by a leader in

efforts towards goal achievement (Nworgu, 1991). It involves a force that initiates actions in

people and the leader. It could also be described as the ability to get things done with the

assistance and cooperation of other people within the school system. Mbiti (2007) posits that

leadership has to do with the execution of policies and decisions which help to direct the

activities of an organization towards the achievement of its specified aims. Leadership is also

seen as the process whereby one person influences others to do something of their own volition,

neither because it is required nor because of the fear of consequences of non-compliance

(Okumbe, 1998). At the core of most definitions of leadership are two functions: providing

direction and exercising influence. Each of these functions can be carried out in different ways

and such differences distinguish many models of leadership from one another.

According to Yukl, 1994 leadership influences the interpretation of events for followers, the

choice of objectives for the group or organization, the organization of work activities to
accomplish objectives, the motivation of followers to achieve the objectives, the maintenance of

cooperative relationships and teamwork and the enlistment of support and cooperation from

people outside the group or organization.

Leadership Theories

Three theories about leadership exist which include trait, situational and contingency

leadership theories that apply to all organizations (Fiedler, 1967; Okumbe,1998). The trait theory

emphasizes the importance of a leaders’ personal characteristics in shaping the quality or style of

his/her leadership. Some of these personal traits include the headteachers academic and

professional qualifications, age, gender, in-service training and administrative experiences.

The situational theory on leadership holds that a leader is a product of a particular

situation and therefore the situation should dictate the kind of leadership style he adopts to be

effective. A headteacher is therefore supposed to tailor his leadership style to match or address

the needs of the situation in the school like leader-member relations, category of school, students

and teachers’ population. Fiedler (1967) explains that a leader is better placed to determine the

achievement of an organization’s goals or be effective if the situation is favorable i.e. low task

ambiguity, high position power and good leader member relation. Situational factors should

therefore affect leadership effectiveness and style of a headteacher (Hoy and Miskel, 1982;

Okumbe, 1998).

The application of contingency theories to leadership embraces both trait and situational

theories. This theory looks at the headteachers’ leadership styles and effectiveness in the light of

his/her personal characteristics and skills from the perspective of the needs of the situation in

which these leaders have to act. Management scholars consider contingency approach to be the

most current approach to studies of leadership effectiveness and styles (Muchira, 1988; Sagimo,
2002).

Leadership and Organizational Achievement

This is the ability of an individual to influence, motivate and enable others to contribute

toward the effectiveness and success of the organization of which they are members. Leadership

is a vital element in the social relationships of groups at work. These groups need leaders and the

leaders need followers. Cole (1993) explains leadership is a dynamic process at work in a group

whereby one individual over a particular period of time, and in a particular organizational

context influences the other group members to commit themselves freely to the achievement of

group tasks or goals.

From the above definitions we find that leadership as a dynamic process determines the

success of any organization. Effective leaders influence the group members towards the

achievement of group goals by gaining the group’s commitment to these goals (Cole, 1993).

Effective leaders will drive their organizations towards success. Their leadership

performance leads to the achievement of organizational goals, a high degree of commitment to

these goals by the group and a high level of group member satisfaction. According to Ukeje,

Akabogu and Ndu (1992) the quality of leadership in an organization, be it religious, social,

business military or otherwise affects to a large extent the success or failure of that organization.

The function of organizational leadership therefore is to influence the group toward the

achievement of group goals by planning, organizing, directing and integrating the institutional

demands and the needs of members in a way that will be both productive and individually

fulfilling.

Leadership is supposed to increase group morale and motivate members for them to work

hard towards achieving organizational goals and success. Rules and regulations regarding group
behavior alone cannot lead to success even if they are enforced by the use of position power of

the head. Devoted service and maximum utilization of their group personal ability comes through

the exercise of organizational leadership which raises group morale and also motivates them to

perform maximally.

School Leadership

Leadership in schools is offered by school principals. The roles of a principal in a school

have been developing as they are far from being universally accepted. These include managing

school finances and business, the students and teachers, curriculum supervision, managing the

school plant and material resources and school community relations. The pressure for greater

professional autonomy for teachers and increasing militancy has necessitated a clearer definition

of the principals’ professional role of whether to be an administrator or a leader.

However, whether administrators or leaders, the school principals are the driving force

behind effective schools. Effective schools have the ability to make a difference to student

learning. They show a relationship between student achievement on tests of basic skills and a

stable set of school organization and process characteristics (Hopkins, Ainscow and West, 1994).

Effective schools are a result of effective leadership and these schools are characterized

by strong administrative leadership, high expectations for students, emphasis on student

acquisition of basic skills, frequent monitoring of student progress and an orderly climate

conducive to learning.

Effective leadership in schools leads to high academic achievement. School leadership

helps to shape the nature of school conditions such as goals, culture, forms of pedagogy used by

teachers among others in enhancing student achievement in academics.

Schools contribute differentially to pupil achievement and therefore the school a child
goes to determines his/her academic achievement as Hopkins et-al (1994) posits, the school a

child goes to does matter.

Role of the Principal in School Leadership

The principal as the chief executive is the overall in charge of the school and is

responsible for the quality of the school. S/he supervises the whole school programs and bears

the ultimate responsibility for the overall school performance, proficiency and effectiveness

including the competency of all school programs (Wango, 2006). The head is the secretary to the

BOG, and in charge of the day-to-day activities in the school. He should understand the

departmental programs and work closely with all the teachers through consultation on issues of

mutual interest to the school like games and sports, other co-curricular activities and

examinations. The school head should be well informed and experienced on the school system

and should have an orientation to the whole school program.

In schools there is a team which composes the principal as the leader, master teachers, and

designated coordinators of every department or program. They come up with specific policies

relevant to the internal functioning of the school. The principal is therefore charged with the

responsibility of seeing that decisions made in the school are in line with the school policies.

These policies have to be implemented without deviating from the overall education policy in the

country.

The school head as an administrator must be efficient and responsible. As the leader of

the teaching staff he has the responsibility of promoting effective teaching in the school. This he

does by ensuring that the employer appoints qualified and competent teachers in his school. He

should also be a highly competent and skilled person in modern techniques of classroom

instruction, human relations, delegation of responsibilities and communication (Mbiti, 1974). He

performs his or her duties satisfactorily through constant supervision.

To achieve the goal of improving the curriculum goals the principal must have an

understanding of the teacher and the teacher’s roles and must always be prepared to work

effectively with the teacher. He must maintain discipline among the teaching staff and the

students which he must do with tact, fairness and firmness.

The principal also ensures that each teacher is given an opportunity to satisfy his

leadership aspirations by delegating duties and responsibilities to the staff. He should know that

his employer the ministry of education or its agency the TSC expects quality work, loyalty and

integrity from him. He therefore has to maintain a strong liaison with the ministry or its agencies

such as the school board. A responsible school head must keep the trust bestowed upon him by

his employer and be exemplary as a teacher.

When it comes to human relations the school head is in a key position to influence the

human factors of morale. He must be able to analyze the social and community setting including

power structures and pressure groups in order to get support for the school programs. The

headteacher has to be accountable to the community, know it well to make them interested in

what their children are doing in school (Mbiti, 1974).

Leadership Practices that Contribute to School Success

Setting Directions. A critical aspect of leadership is helping a group to develop shared

understanding about the organization and its activities and goals that can undergird a sense of

purpose or vision (Hallinger and Heck, 2002.) This is supported by the fundamental theoretical

explanations for the importance of leaders direction setting practices from the goal based theories

of human motivation (Bandura, 1986). According to such theory, people are motivated by goals
which they find personally compelling, as well as challenging but achievable. Having such goals

helps people make sense of their work and enables them to find a sense of identity for

themselves within their work context.

Directions are set through practices like identifying and articulating a vision, fostering the

acceptance of group goals and creating high performance expectations. This is enhanced by

monitoring organizational performance and promoting effective communication and

collaboration.

Developing People. The ability to engage in practices that help develop people depends, in part,

on leader’s knowledge of the technical core of schooling that is required to improve the quality

of teaching and learning invoked by the term “Instructional leadership” or leaders emotional

intelligence (Goleman, Boyatzis and Mckee, 2002). Emotional intelligence displayed for

example through a leader’s personal attention to an employee through the utilization of the

employee’s capacities, increases the employee’s enthusiasm and optimism, reduces frustration,

transmits a sense of mission and indirectly increases performance (McColl-Kennedy and

Anderson, 2002). Leadership practices that significantly and positively help develop people

include offering intellectual stimulation, providing individualized support and providing an

appropriate model.

Redesigning the Organization. The changing nature of learning organizations and professional

nature of communities calls for change in organizational cultures and structures to facilitate the

work of members to match the changing nature of the school’s improvement agenda. Practices

like strengthening the school cultures, modifying organizational structures and building

collaborative processes must be embraced by the school leadership.

Management Skills. Running a school today is an enormously demanding job. Good leaders
must be good managers knowledgeable about finance. They should have the ability to

communicate and collaborate with people inside and outside the school. Leadership should be a

shared process involving leaders, teachers, students, parents and the community. An effective

leader should coalesce people around meaningful goals and inspire them to work together to

accomplish these goals. He should develop powerful ways of connecting with others and know

how to build constituencies that push for change and breakdown institutional barriers to teaching

and learning.

School Leadership Practices in Highly Accountable Policy Contexts. Leading a school today

is extremely demanding and requires that principals be accountable to all that goes on in their

schools. In this regard they have to embrace the best practices to be effective and efficient and

these include;

a) Creating and sustaining a competitive school where the leader finds himself in


 competition for students in education “markets”. 


b) Providing instructional guidance in order to improve students’ learning. Leaders


 must assess the work of educators’ e.g. setting the professional standards and their


 use for purposes of ongoing professional development and personnel evaluation. 


c) Developing and implementing strategic school improvement plans. This calls for

school leaders mastery of skills associated with productive planning and


 implementation of such plans. 


d) Distributed leadership. Principals cannot carry out all the leadership roles by

themselves. Highly successful leaders develop and count on leadership contributions

leadership along with their local administrative colleagues (Horde, Steigelbauer and Hall,

1984). In site-based management contexts, parent leaders are often crucial to the school’s

success (Parker and Leithwood, 2000).

The concept of distributed leadership implies that initiatives or practices used to influence

members of the organization are exercised by more than a single person. This concept overlaps

substantially with shared, collaborative, democratic and participative leadership concepts.

Distributed leadership assumes a set of practices that are enacted by people at all levels rather

than a set of personal characteristics and attributes located in people at the top (Fletcher and

Kaufer,2003 p.22).

Distributed leadership promotes teamwork and increased participation in decision making

leading to greater commitment to organizational goals and strategies. It increases on-the job

leadership development experiences, and the increased self-determination arising from it may

improve members’ experience of work. Such leadership allows members to better anticipate and

respond to the demands of the organization’s environment.

Leadership Styles

Leadership style refers to the underlying needs of the leader that motivate his behavior (Siskin,

1994). It is the manifestation of the dominant pattern of behavior of a leader (Olaniyan, 1999).It

also refers to a particular behavior applied by a leader to motivate his or her subordinates to

achieve the objectives of the organization (Okumbe, 1998).All the classic leadership theories

have direct implications for what style the leader uses in human resource management.

In school leadership, the principals behavior and how he creates a conducive atmosphere

for learning and teaching determines achievement. The way the principal relates with his or her
staff contributes immensely to their effectiveness or otherwise. In many organizations the

autocratic, democratic, laisez faire and situational leadership behaviors are used as identified by

researchers.

Autocratic Leadership Style

It’s also referred to as authoritarian leadership style. This is where power, authority and

decision making reside in the leader. The autocratic leader directs group members on the way

things should be done. The leader does not maintain a clear channel of communication between

him or her and the subordinates. He or she does not delegate authority or permit subordinates to

participate in policy making (Hoy and Miskel, 1992).

The Democratic Leadership Style

It emphasizes group participation in the making of policies. Decisions about the

organization are arrived at after consultations and communication with various people in the

organization. The leader attempts as much as possible to make each individual feel that he is

important in the organization. Communication is multi-directional while ideas are exchanged

between employees and the leader (Heenan and Bennis, 1999). The leader delegates

responsibility to those with appropriate qualification, experience and time. In this style a high

degree of staff morale is enhanced.

Laissez-Faire Leadership Style

This style allows complete freedom to group decision without leader’s participation.

Subordinates are free to do what they like. The role of the leader is just to supply materials. The

leader does not interfere with or participate in the course of events determined by the group

(Talbert and Milbrey, 1994).

Situational Leadership
 In this style the leader applies a leadership behavior basing on the prevailing situation.

Leadership effectiveness is determined by the situational factors like the organization structure,

climate, role characteristics and the subordinate characteristics. Other leadership behaviors

identified by researchers include the nomothetic leadership behavior, idiographic and

transactional leadership behaviors.

Nomothetic Leadership Behavior

This is characterized by a leader who is task-centered and follows rules and regulations of

the organization to the letter. He ensures protocol is observed through bureaucratic processes.

The leader perceives his office as a centre of authority and applies the same bureaucratic rules

and procedures to all subordinates. This leadership behavior is mainly used by autocratic leaders

(Nworgu, 1991; Goldring and Sharon, 1993).

Idiographic Leadership Behavior

This focuses on individual needs rather than organizational needs and is worker-

centered. The leader expects the subordinates to work out things for themselves. Authority is

delegated while the relationship with others is in line with individuals personal needs (Evan,

l998).The leader applies the human relations approach to management.

Transactional Leadership Behavior

This is a hybrid between the Nomothetic and idiographic leadership behaviors. It

recognizes the importance of institutional roles and expectations. The leader assumes that

pursuing institutional goals could result into the fulfillment of individual personality drives.

Transactional leadership allows for the practices of good human relationship (Bidwell, 2001).

In Kenya, most researchers while studying leadership styles in educational institutions have

identified most headteachers display either or all the above leadership styles attributed to
personal and situational factors (Anyango, 2001; Ochiel, 2008).

Leadership Style and School Achievement

Leadership style according to Ukeje et-al (1992) refers to the underlying need structure of

the individual that determines his behavior in various leadership situations. It consists of the

leader’s goals or needs as he functions in different [Link] (1967) refers to leadership

behavior as particular acts in which a leader engages in his work situation as he plans, directs,

co-ordinates or controls the work of his group members.

Okumbe (1998) defines leadership style as particular behavior applied by a leader to

motivate his or her subordinates to achieve the objectives of the organization. Leadership styles

are usually identified as points on a continuum and he identifies them as democratic, autocratic

and Laissez faire.

According to Fiedler (1967), the characteristics of a leader can influence leadership

effectiveness. Leaders who relate their styles to particular situational changes are likely to be

effective. Leadership style is therefore crucial to success and so leaders have to be flexible in

adopting the right styles in various situations. For many years school administrators have been

urged to be democratic leaders. Democratic leadership in schools fosters stronger subordination

of teachers. It facilitates higher morale as it gives teachers the privilege to contribute their ideas

to the formation of general policy structure of the school’s operation.

Successful school leaders are associated with democracy. They have strong personalities,

are dynamic and energetic. They emphasize on consultation, teamwork and participation. The

quality of the school leadership therefore makes what we call effective schools. Effective school

leadership is associated with the development of a school culture. This involves building

behavioral norms that exemplify the best that a school stands for. It also means building a school
in which people believe strongly, which they identify personally and to which they gladly render

their loyalty. All this gives meaning and significance to their work and this is highly motivating.

When students and staff in a school are highly motivated then the school is likely to achieve

academically. Effective schools promote more dynamic and decentralized approach to leadership

which leads to school improvement. This means the principal’s role is to delegate authority and

as Hopkins [Link] (1994) posits: giving other people genuine authority does not mean enfeebling

oneself, encouraging others to give creative leadership does not mean abdicating from having

ideas of one’s own, giving others real responsibility does not mean leaving them to sink or swim,

but rather to support them in developing the best possible way of going forward. Effective

leadership is therefore associated with democratic style of leadership. It involves vision building,

relevant expertise, relationships and the quality of communication and participation.

Effective School Leadership and Achievement

The characteristics of principals often determine the dynamics of a school community

and the academic outcomes of school policies and procedures. When a school lacks effective

leadership, minimal learning takes place. School leaders beginning with the principal must

provide strong leadership that sets the tone for the daily operations of the school community. In

the absence of effective school leadership discipline breaks down, academics falter and a sense

of organized chaos reigns. Ineffective leadership in schools causes disruption in the teaching and

learning process leading to inadequate coverage of the school curriculum (Eshiwani, 1984;

1993).Ineffective leadership leads to delinquent behavior among some students and their

subsequent failure in national examinations (Thomas, 1993; Njiru, 1999).

Effective school principals hire teachers that are impassioned, organized and know their

subject area well who will rise to every challenge and be committed to success and excellence.
They are able to identify emerging issues and problems and deal with them positively. They

work in an environment of transparent openness; their doors are always open, take all telephone

calls, address even the most difficult situations or parents and ensure there is teacher motivation

and quality teaching and learning (Fullan, 1992; Hopkins et al, 1994).

Effective school principals promote increased teacher participation and leadership in

decision making process of various aspects of the school administration. They believe in change

by having a vision which they develop with co-workers and value the organization’s personnel.

School vision influences the school climate which includes teachers’ instructional behavior as

well as student outcomes.

Effective school headteachers will always value the human resources of their

organization. They provide an environment that promotes individual contributions to the

organizations work. They develop and maintain collaborative relationships formed during the

development and adoption of the organization’s shared vision. They form teams, support team

efforts, develop the skills groups and individuals need, provide the necessary resources both

human and material to fulfill the shared vision. According to the Kenyan government

headteachers are supposed to share leadership roles with their deputies and heads of department

(Republic of Kenya,1993)as team leadership impacts on students academic achievement and

leadership effectiveness. Effective leaders apply their styles of leadership basing on situations.

No one model of leadership can fit in all schools as they vary in size, catchment areas, vision,

culture, intellectual capacity and professional maturity of staff. He or she should therefore

regularly review leadership and management roles, structures, principles, practices and styles so

that the school can adapt to changes in their particular circumstances.

Summary
 The major focus of the literature review is the literature related to various aspects of

leadership. The views of various scholars on the definition and importance of leadership have

been given to give an understanding of this concept that is critical to this study. This is followed

by a brief description of school leadership and the roles of school leaders and practices that can

make them effective. Leadership styles have also been discussed and their contribution to

academic achievement.

Review of related literature reveals that every organization has an interest in being

effective hence endeavors to attain its set goals and objectives. Public schools being

organizations, it’s essential to highlight the indicators of effective leadership in schools which

include high academic achievement, good leader member relations, motivation of teachers and

quality teaching and learning. Majority of the researchers have majorly looked at “solo”

leadership by principals in schools and ignored the role played by other leaders like deputies and

HODs in team leadership as structured in the lines of authority in schools (Republic of Kenya,

1993).

No evidence of literature related to leadership effectiveness in public elementary schools

in Zamboanga City focusing on principals’ leadership style and schools performance assessed

through SBM Assessment tool was found. Moreover, due to changes in society and the

situational factors in schools there is a need for research in PES to establish the extent of

relationship between principal’s leadership style and school’s performance. This study therefore

attempted to fill the existing gap in knowledge and create new knowledge on the relationship

between principal’s leadership style and school’s performance.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

perceived by teachers in Pasonanca Elementary School - Sta. Maria District the study employed

the democratic leadership style, autocratic leadership style, and laissez faire leadership style.

The study limited the respondents to teachers of Pasonanca Elementary School - Sta.

Maria District, Deped Zamboanga City Division who have at least 1 year of teaching experience.

C. Chapter 3 – Methodology

1. Respondents

In this study, the participants will be the teachers in Pasonanca Elementary School (PES)

- Sta. Maria District. They should have at least one year of teaching experience in PES.

2. Population and Sample

All the teachers with at least 1 year of experience will be the participants of this study.

Since there are 37 teachers who have at least one year teaching experience they were the

respondents of the survey questionnaire and interview through FGD.

3. Sampling

Since the researcher sought to gather data from all the teachers who are at least one year

in service in PES, total enumeration was used.

4. Research Instruments

Data in this research was collected using teachers’ questionnaire. Questionnaire is

preferred by the researcher in data collection as they are appropriate in descriptive survey where
the number of respondents is high (Orodho, 2009).

While analysing the literature relating to leadership, the researcher will adapt the Survey

form used by Linet Afandi Budohi in her requirements in Master of Education in Kenya

University, relating to three types of leadership democratic, autocratic, and laissez-faire which

the author designed purposely for her research.

Teachers’ Questionnaire

The questionnaire has two sections. Section one is use to collect the personal and school

details. Section two comprised of matrix questions used to survey on principals’ leadership

behavior. The matrix questions allow for easy comparison of responses given to different items.

The Likert scale was used to measure where 1=Never, 2=Seldom, 3=Occasionally, 4=Frequently,

5=Always.

As to the validity and reliability of the instrument since it is adapted and has been used, it

is understood that the instrument has undergone the process of validity and reliability test.

5. Data Gathering Procedure

The data for the current research was collected through the use of a questionnaire. A

consent letter was sent to the principal for his approval. Once approved, the survey will be

conducted.

The researcher employed quantitative-qualitative descriptive method. To answer the two

research questions, the Teacher’s Questionnaire was used. To answer the third question a

document containing the school’s SBM rating was employed. An interview through FGD was

done to answer the fourth. Jakob, A. (as cited in Yeasmin & Rahman 2012) exclaimed "By
combining multiple observers, theories, methods, and empirical materials, researchers can hope

to overcome the weakness or intrinsic biases and the problems that come from single-method,

single-observer, single-theory studies.

6. Statistical Analysis

Primarily, this study employed one survey questionnaire which was adapted. Statistical

procedures for this study varied according to the analysis needed for each research question. As

this is a mixed-design study, both qualitative and quantitative analyses was used. Quantitative

analyses was used for research questions one to two, while qualitative analysis was used for

questions three to four.

The study findings was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The analysis was done using

the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) which has a set of standard commands that

analyze data. The results of data analysis was presented using frequency tables, bar graphs and

percentages. Relevant interpretation, discussion and recommendations was drawn from the

analyzed data.

Based on calculation of means for various aspects of leadership behavior exhibited by the

principals, results was categorized as follows:

D. Chapter 4. Data Analysis and Presentation

and the FGD. The discussion is organized based on the research questions.

1. What leadership styles (democratic, autocratic, and laissez faire) have the teachers in PES

experienced among the principals who handled their school for 3 consecutive terms?

2. Which of these styles is most commonly practiced by the principals as perceived by the

teachers?

3. What is the performance of PES based on the SBM Assessment Result?

1.36 – Developing

4. To get a higher SBM Rating, what leadership style should be practiced based on the

perception of the teachers? (FGD with Grade Level Chairpersons)

a. Do you think the result of the SBM is due to the kind of leadership style (democratic,

autocratic, laissez faire) the principal shows?

- Out of 8 only 1 answered No, the rest Yes

b. Do you think we can improve the SBM result of the school if this specific kind of

leadership style is practiced?

- Democratic – Yes , success of the school depends on how the principal manages it

- Autocratic – No, teachers will be carried away by their fear that their reports

might be denied

- Laissez faire – Big NO

c. What are your suggestions to improve the SBM result? Why?

- Prepare ahead of time

- Data gathering should be done diligently

- Everyone should work, there has to be proper delegation of work/tasks

d. What style of leadership style can be used to improve SBM result?

- Democratic – 1

- Mixture of democratic and autocratic - 7

E. Chapter 5. Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations

References

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multifactor leadership questionnaire. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1993). Transformational leadership: A response to critiques. In

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directions (pp. 49-80). New York: Academic Press.

Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through

transformational leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (2004). Multifactor leadership questionnaire sampler set: Manual,

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Christensen, Don F. (2010). A Comparison of the Leadership Styles of Administrators In Charge

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