Principals' leadership styles and their effects on teachers' performance in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the leadership styles adopted by school principals and their influence on the job performance of primary school teachers in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. The study was designed to gain insight into the kinds of leadership styles presently used, the leadership preference of principals, the perceptions of the teachers and principals regarding the leadership styles of the principals and the effect of the leadership styles on teachers’ performance. The main research question that guided this study was: Which leadership styles are most commonly used by primary school principals in the Tigray region and what is their effect on the performance of teachers? A mixed-methods research design was used with questionnaires as well as a focus group interview as means of data-collection. One hundred and seventy eight principals and 446 teachers comprising 69% male and 31% female teachers participated in the study. The path-goal leadership questionnaire as well as a self-constructed questionnaire to measure teacher performance was self-administered to collect data from the selected principals and teachers, which secured a 97% response rate. During the qualitative phase, eight supervisors participated in the focus group interview. The questionnaire data were analysed using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) software. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted and presented in a clear and logical manner. The principals and teachers indicated that all the leadership styles, except the directive leadership style, have a positive impact on the teachers’ performance. Furthermore, the supportive leadership style is the most frequently used style. Importantly, age, qualifications and experience as independent variables had an effect on teachers’ performance. The data also indicated a statistically significant relationship between the job performance of teachers and the leadership styles employed by the principals. The study results make a contribution to the research on the relation between leadership styles and teachers’ performance, especially since no study has been conducted on this issue in the Tigray region of Ethiopia before. It was possible to make several meaningful recommendations for implementation in the Tigray region.