ABSTRACT
This
study investigated the influence of principals’ leadership styles on teachers’
job performance in public secondary schools in Sapele Local Government Area of
Delta State. Related literatures were reviewed.
The
respondents for the study were selected from ten public secondary schools in
the local government area. The simple random sampling procedure was used to
select a total number of one hundred teachers.
A
twenty-item questionnaire was designed by the researcher. The instrument was
personally administered; t-test and the Pearson product moment correlation were
used in testing the four hypotheses formulated. At the end of the study, useful recommendations
were made on how to motivate teachers to improve on their job performance.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract v
Table of Contents vi
CHAPTER
ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to
the study 1
1.2
Statement of
problem 6
1.3
Research questions 7
1.4
Hypothesis 8
1.5
Purpose of study 8
1.6
Significance of
study 9
1.7
Assumptions 11
1.8
Delimitation 12
1.9
Definition of
terms 12
CHAPTER
TWO: LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.1
Theoretical framework 14
2.2
Leadership styles and effects on teachers’ job performance 18
2.3
Leadership dimension 23
2.4
Types of leadership approach 25
2.5 Relationship
between leadership styles and motivation 27
2.6 The
role of the principal in fostering staff relationship in
school administration 32
2.7 The role of staff members in fostering
effective principal
staff relationship 34
2.8
Job performance 37
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN AND ETHODOLOGY
3.1
Study Area 39
3.2
Population 39
3.3
Sampling Technique 40
3.4
Research Instrument 40
3.5
Scoring Method/Statistical Framework 41
CHAPTER
FOUR:
Analysis of Data and Discussion of
Findings 43
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1
Summary 51
5.2
Findings 52
5.3
Conclusions 52
5.4
Recommendations 53
Suggestions for Further Study 55
Limitations 55
Bibliography 56
Appendix A 59
Appendix B 64
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The wealth of a
given country is principally determined by the human resources, available
natural resources and the state of her economic development. Of all these, it
is the human resources that exploit the natural resources, accumulates physical
capital and build the socio-political structure needed for national growth and
development.
Human
resources can only be developed through proper education that is geared towards
the needs of the individual and the society. This is why every government is
concerned with providing education for the citizenry. The need for education
draws from the idea that the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow,
hence both local, state and federal government are keenly involved in providing
educational services to her citizens.
Nigerian
educational system is to some extent decentralized and democratic in nature.
Bothe in policy and practice, education in Nigeria is in the con-current list
for both federal and states. The Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) in the
National Policy on Education (1981:P) states in section 96 as follows:
1. The
Federal Government shall prescribe minimum standards of education at all
levels.
2. University,
technical, pre-primary and post-primary education shall be the responsibility
of both the federal and state governments.
3. Education
Boards or Authorities will be responsible for management of schools and the
appointment, posting and discipline of teachers.
The various state governments and the
Federal Ministry of Education have responsibility for establishing and managing
secondary and other institutions, provided they meet the minimum standards
prescribed by the federal government. This is democratic in nature and does not
end with state ministries of education but supposed to be passed on to the
individual institutions through their respective heads. The appointment of
principals and teachers in the state schools are made either by the state
schools boards or the state post-primary education and the decisions or reports
are communicated to the state Ministries of Education for approval.
This therefore necessitates a deliberate
systematic and planned educational system aimed at instilling in the child
approved societal behaviours, skills, knowledge, habits and values.
The successful implementation of the
above depends on the types of schools provided, how they are organized, the
caliber of teachers and administrative heads as well as the attitude of parents
towards their children’s and wards education.
The government having established schools,
recruits teachers, post them to various schools, pay them monthly salaries
depending on their qualifications, occasionally inspecting them to determine
the extent to which pre-determined objectives are met. Parents on their parts
provide the necessary materials as needed by their wards and children before
sending them to school. What happens thereafter between the hours of 8:00am to
2:00pm is under the control of the school head and the teachers.
The success or otherwise of a secondary
school, lies largely on the leadership style practiced by the principal. The
secondary school as an organization cannot exist without the principal and
teachers who perform all the expected school duties. The principal is the head
of the school administrative unit. The teacher on his part is regarded as a
social worker, a modernizer, a pace-setter who structures environment for
effective teaching and learning. As a result of his professional expectation in
acting in-loco-parentis and also providing quality instructions, it becomes
necessary that a rich and stimulating working environment and managed by a good
and an understanding leader be provided for them for the smooth
operationalization of educational objectives. This is to ensure that
educational goals are realized which manifest in the overall performance of the
students in the school certificate examination.
Most often, particularly in the past
fifteen years, the final examinations, West African Schools Certificate and now
Senior School Certificate results have shown a poor picture. The public leveled
criticism against teachers on what they perceived as low standards of
education, moral laxity among students, mass cheating aided and abetted by
teachers and government lack of interest and commitment to education.
Teachers on their part complain about
poor conditions of teaching in public schools. Teachers have always described
lack of adequate instructional facilities, salaries inadequacies, interpersonal
inadequacies, and above all, principals corrupt nature, indifference and
insensitivity. These are factors which are seriously demonstrating even to a
workaholic.
Principals on their part leveled the
student’s academic poor performance on teachers’ attitude to work, laziness and
their failure to make the best of inadequate situations. The problem of moral
laxity, indiscipline in schools, mass cheating were blamed on teachers, whose
instructional methods and materials have been considered insufficient,
unstimulating and inappropriate to the child’s learning experiences, interests
and propensities. Principals see teachers as lazy, non-compromising even in the
face of no salaries. Their notion is that teachers must work at all times
whether they are sick, hungry or not, as an excuse from a teacher to be away
from school is considered as sabotage.
In the light of the aforementioned, it
is alarming that principals in Sapele Local Government Area have a lot to
grapple with in ensuring successful principalship. It is the duty of the school
principal to indentify and sustain the teachers’ interest through the
initiation of appropriate leadership style.
Since the teachers work under the
leadership of the principal, the principals have to provide those motivational
devices that will influence the teachers’ attitude to work. There is therefore
the need for a type of school administrator (principal) which requires among
other things effective staff motivation, harmonious staff interaction between
staff and staff and between staff and principal.
As the teacher acts in-loco-parentis,
the principal should see himself as a teacher-trainer, he should instructs
without ordering, correct without nagging and above all, persuades without
insisting (Obe, 1984). Among others, he should maintain fair play,
reasonableness, justice and also establish open-door policy and good
communication network. When these are done, the principal would have been able
to win the support of hid teaching staff.
In a school system where there is no
bitterness and rancor between the principal and the teachers, there will be
proper integration of personal and corporate objectives. This encourages a
harmonious working environment, subsequently leading to improved
teaching-learning output. Consequently, the students performance will improve
and the required manpower would have been created through good leadership.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The
maintenance of an effective leadership style and teacher’s job performances in
school administration has been held by many educationists to be the foundation
of progress. The principals’ leadership style can affect the teachers’ other
aspect of human relations, such as those which exist between the staff and the
community on the other.
Educational
administration must concern with the satisfaction which the principals and teachers
derive from their work. The satisfaction, it appears can only be found in an
administrative climate where there is a cordial relationship between the
principals and the teachers.
Sometimes, the students, the teachers
and members of the community make highly critical comments about the
administrative styles of some secondary school principals. Many of the comments
are concerned with understanding between the staff and principals, the
maltreatment of the young members of staff by the principal and even non-involvement
of staff in formulation of school policies and in performance of assigned task
by the teachers. All those comments may reflect the leadership style projected
by the principal. Sometimes in many secondary school, the end of the academic
year often result in the mass transfer of teachers, even students to other
schools, because of misunderstanding between principal, the teachers and the
students. This atmosphere of constant misunderstanding will definitely hamper
the job performance of the teachers. The teachers are supposed to be dedicated
to their duty; they know the rules and regulations of the organization. They
are supposed to come to school early, teach their subjects and even be involved
in other extra-curricular activities if the atmosphere is conducive. But the
opposite is the case with a principal who is not friendly. The teachers are
forced to show nonchalant attitude to work. This therefore attracts the
attention of the writer to look into how the leadership styles of principals have
helped or discourage teachers from putting in their best.
1.3 Research Questions
The
following questions were raised to guide this study:
1. Does
the leadership style of principal affect teachers’ job performance?
2. What
leadership style is most suitable to encourage teachers?
3. Is
there any difference in the leadership styles of principals in the rural and
urban areas?
4. Is
there any difference in the leadership styles of professionally trained and
non-professionally trained principal?
5. Is
there any difference between the leadership styles of female and male
principals?
1.4 Hypotheses
The
following hypotheses were formulated to guide the study:
1. There
is no significant relationship between principals’ leadership styles and
teachers’ job performance.
2. There
is no significant difference between the leadership of male and female
principals.
3. There
is no significant relationship between the leadership styles of principals in
the rural and urban areas.
4. There
is a significant relationship between the leadership style of professionally
trained and non-professionally trained principals.
1.5 Purpose of Study
Ø
To identify the
most suitable leadership style this will make teachers work better.
Ø
To find out
whether teachers’ job performance has any relationship with principals’
leadership style.
Ø
To suggest and
recommend factors which will improve the leadership style of principals so as
to ensure a state of mutual co-existence between the principal and his
teachers.
1.6 Significance of the Study
It
has been argued by some educationist that the principal is the leading school
administrator who is continuously indentified with the secondary school education.
He is
in fact the institution and as a result, the success or failure of a school is
easily ascribed to his ability to promote interpersonal relationship with
teachers and students within the school. In effects, it is generally assumed
that the success of a school depends to a considerable extent, on the
leadership style projected by its principal who has much effect on the teachers
in the dissemination of knowledge to students; that, a school will succeed and
make progress under the good leadership of the principal. On the other hand,
that it will fail and degenerate under poor leadership.
Majority
of these principals/administrators will adopt several leadership styles and
bring their own individual charisma into their new roles which their situation
has imposed on them. Some try to copy the administrative style of their
favourite former teachers or other professionals. But it must be recognized
that administration is a skill, which must be learned. This is why it has
become a necessity for every potential school principal administrator to
acquire some administrative training and not learn on the job as it is
presently done.
Job
performance or the success and failure of a school can also be ascribed not
only to the principals alone but to the teachers as well. The teachers will
like to contribute their quota to the school goals, according to them; they
will perform their job well if the atmosphere is conducive and friendly. So the
successful attainment of an organizational goals or high job performance is to
a large extent determined by the degree of cohesiveness maintained by a group
of individual involved in managing the organization. Group cohesiveness can
best to achieve in educational organization if schools principals and teachers
become cognizant of the pattern of one another.
This
symbolic relationship would foster a cordial and conducive atmosphere and the
job performance will be high. The teachers said job performance was highly
related to principal’s leadership style, teacher’s promotion and school
facilities available.
The
study had the primary objective of identifying the types of leadership styles
of principals in some secondary schools in Delta State and lastly to evaluate
the influence of different leadership styles on teachers’ job performance.
The
findings would to help prospective administrators in the administration of
their schools. For example, they may be able to discover how to create an ideal
principal staff relationship which can positively influence the performance of
the teachers’ task in the schools.
This is
particularly important because a cordial principal-staff relationship is most
likely to make for:
Ø
A reduction of
the need for constant teacher supervision.
Ø
A high level of
performance of teachers in the schools.
Ø
The physical,
moral and intellectual development of teachers towards job performance.
Ø
The
internalization of discipline.
Ø
The professional
growth of teachers and understanding of their jobs in the schools.
It is hoped that the study would contribute
to the advancement of knowledge in at least three different ways:
Firstly,
it would suggest the leadership style that produces a healthy operational
climate in which teachers are happy and co-operate with their principals.
Secondly,
the finding would suggest how principals can help create cordial relationship
with their staff and improve performance.
Thirdly,
the findings of the study would suggest the nature and type of performance
content for the training of prospective principals and for the in-service
training of the incumbent principals.
1.7 Assumptions
This
research is predicated on the following premises:
a. Teachers
will perform better if there is a friendly and co-operative leader.
b. The
leadership style of principals has a direct effect on teachers’ job
performance.
c. Teachers
can be motivated through an ideal leadership even when there are no salaries.
1.8 Scope/Delimitation
This
project was carried out in Sapele Local Government of Delta State to find out
the influence of principal leadership styles on teachers’ job performance.
However,
not all the secondary schools in the local government area were used, as only ten
(10) schools out of 18 public secondary schools were used.
1.9 Definition of Terms
1. Leadership styles: These are specific patterns of behaviour emphasized
and exhibited by the leader of a group to influence the members of a group
towards the accomplishment of the organizational goals.
2. In-Loco-Parentis: This is the duty of the teachers in the acting place
of parents; taking care of the students under his care pastorally.
3. Professionally-Trained Principals: Defined in this context as those principals who
have received training as TC II, NCE, B.ED/ or M.ED; Implying that these
principals underwent all training in the act of teaching.
4. Non-Professionally-Trained Principals: Those principals who had their degree in other
areas but later went to do a post-graduate diploma in education (PGDE) so as to
remain principals.
5. Teachers’ Job Performance: This refers to the general or specific duties and
functions assigned to the position of the school teachers.
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