THE IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP STYLES ON TEACHERS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

THE IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP STYLES ON TEACHERS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

CHAPITER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 THE STUDY’S BACKGROUND

Northouse (2004) described leadership as “a process whereby a person encourages a group of other individuals to achieve a shared purpose.” Drummond (2002) defined leadership style as the manner in which a leader interacts with their subordinates. O’Donnell (1959) defined leadership as a strategy for motivating people to work together toward a common goal. Leadership, according to Crosby and Bryson (1999), is the act of motivating others to take action as a group in order to achieve a common goal. It includes all strategies and tactics used by leaders to motivate followers to carry out their instructions, including controlling, directing, and other similar techniques. It is a strategy for persuading people to take a particular action. Armstrong (2004) claims that effective leadership involves guiding others in the right path, winning their support, and motivating them to accomplish their goals. Principals and school boards are expected to be able to exert influence over parents, teachers, and other education stakeholders to ensure that their institutions achieve their intended goals by ensuring that staff members carry out their duties well and that students perform academically as expected. Leadership style refers to how a manager interacts with group members as well as how he or she carries out leadership activities (Mullins, 2006). There are many different ways to describe a leader’s style. Mullins (2006) identified three basic leadership styles: authoritarian, laissez-faire, and democratic. Where the decision-making function is located is the main differential between these types. The concentration of power inside the group rather than toward the manager is a hallmark of the autocratic leadership style. The manager is the sole one with authority over policies, methods for achieving goals, job responsibilities and relationships, and management of rewards and punishments. A greater focus is placed on group participation and the concentration of power within the group as a whole in the Democratic leadership style. The manager is more of a team player, and the group members share leadership duties. The group’s participants have a greater say in system and process implementation, policy creation, and decision-making. The group’s members are observed by the manager functioning successfully on their own under a lax leadership approach. The management actively makes decisions to assign members with authority, giving them the flexibility to act whatever they see fit. The manager refrains from interfering, but remains readily accessible in case assistance is needed. To increase teacher morale, the leadership style used at the school level is essential. According to Hollinger (2010), low teacher morale prevents connection with coworkers and students, lowers productivity, decreases student learning, and fosters cynicism. According to him, when teacher morale is high and the faculty of culture is strong, students thrive socially and academically. Furthermore, the social environment is lively and engaging, and teachers collaborate to generate results. Despite the fact that leaders are crucial in influencing teacher morale, other factors, such as inadequate pay and student unethical behavior, have also had an effect. The teachers’ strike in 2012 lends credence to the idea. Omari (2013) asserts that, despite all of this, the ministry’s public relations division appears to be doing little to assist teachers. Another finding shows that even members of the community can demoralize teachers.

Statement of the problem: 1.2

The school climate and teacher morale are significant issues that school officials must address when taking into account the responsibilities imposed on teachers nowadays. Establishing a climate in the classroom where the teacher feels at ease and confident in her ability to execute her work is one of the duties of the school leader (Rajan, 2012). The majority of a school’s professional personnel are teachers, thus it’s essential that they are positive people. The general level of teacher morale in a school can be significantly impacted by the behaviors, attitudes, and actions of other teachers (Omari, 2013). Schools with an environment that fosters a better level of dedication from the entire workforce typically have teachers with good morale (Lester, 1990). On the other hand, apathetic cultures are more common in schools with low teacher morale, which might impede academic advancement and student growth (Hardy, 1999). Teacher morale must be high for students to have the best chance of achieving since it has the power to affect the general climate or environment of a school. However, it has been noted that due to leadership practices, teacher morale is low in the majority of Nigeria’s elementary schools, especially those that are controlled by the government. According to Hollinger (2010), strong teacher morale is significantly influenced by effective and supportive leadership, whereas low teacher morale is a result of bad or unsupportive leadership. For kids to learn and perform well, teachers’ work motivation is essential. By motivating and advising them on what to do, listening to their experiences and suggestions, and defending them in difficult situations, effective and supportive leadership affects teacher morale.

1.3.1 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Finding out how leadership styles affect teacher morale in primary schools is the main objective of this study. More particularly, the research will:

i. Analyze the leadership philosophies practiced in elementary schools.

ii. Consider the viewpoints of the teachers regarding the leadership philosophies that have been used.

iii. Examine the various ways that the leadership style in use has an impact on teacher morale.

Find the leadership style(s) that have the greatest impact on teacher morale at work.

Research questions (1.4)

i. Which leadership philosophies are practiced in elementary schools?

ii. How do the teachers view the leadership philosophies that have been applied?

iii. How does the leadership style in place impact teacher morale in a variety of ways?

What leadership approach or approaches are most successful at influencing teacher morale at work?

1.5 THE STUDY’S SIGNIFICANCE

This study will help school administrators, including Education Officers, as well as regional and other key stakeholders, identify and implement strategies to improve teacher morale and leadership styles. Additionally, this study will help head teachers discover particular leadership philosophies to use as well as tactics to raise teacher satisfaction and morale in the classroom.

1.6 THE STUDY’S SCOPE

Ondo State will be the location of this study, with the Owo LGA’s public elementary schools acting as the case study.

1.7 THE STUDY’S LIMITATIONS

Over the duration of the studies, financing for general research activities will be challenging to come by. It’s also possible that respondents won’t be able to finish the questionnaires you’ve sent them or won’t want to. It is anticipated that these restrictions will be addressed by maximizing the use of already available resources and investing more time in research than is necessary. Since the goal and significance of the study may still be achieved despite these limitations, it is confidently believed that they will have little impact on this research report.

1.8 TERMINAL DEFINITIONS

The way a manager carries out their leadership responsibilities and interacts with group members is referred to as their leadership style (Mullins, 2006). The three different sorts of leadership styles are democratic, laissez-faire, and authoritarian. According to Bass (2000), a leader exhibits democratic leadership style when they “broaden and elevate the interests of their employees, when they generate awareness and acceptance of the group’s purposes and mission, and when they stir [their] employees to look beyond [their] own self-interest for the group’s good.”

The degree to which a teacher’s needs are addressed and their perception of how their working environment influences their happiness are both considered measures of teacher morale. According to the author, when an employee’s morale is low, they will contribute less and end up completing only 10% of what is required or the bare minimum. People are more likely to be enthusiastic about their work and to contribute with a sense of dedication when morale is high.