Principals Leadership Styles on Teaching Effectiveness of Business Studies Teachers in Secondary Schools

Principals Leadership Styles on Teaching Effectiveness of Business Studies Teachers in Secondary Schools

Abstract

The study was conducted to examine principal’s leadership style and teachers’ teaching effectiveness in business studies in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. To achieve the specific objectives of the study, three research questions and research hypotheses were formulated and tested. The literatures related to the study were reviewed. The population of the study included all principals and 16 Business studies teachers in secondary schools in all the public secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area. The sample size employed in the study was twenty (20) Business studies teachers in thirteen (13) public secondary schools in the study area.

A fifteen (15) item questionnaire titled “Questionnaire on Principal Leadership Style and Teaching Effectiveness (QPLSTE)” was used as the instrument for data collection while the survey research design was adopted in the study. The simple percentage and chi-square statistical method was adopted to analyze the data collected Findings revealed that autocratic principal’s leadership style give the principals the opportunity to monitor teachers’ work and make teachers to be committed to their duties to avoid criticism from the principal and this increase their teaching effectiveness of teachers in Business studies in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area.

Findings also revealed that principal’s democratic leadership style affect the teaching effectiveness of teachers, this is because teachers’ participation in decision making, views acceptance and concern for teachers’ plights increases teachers’ involvement in the teaching/learning process. In summary, the autocratic leadership style, democratic leadership style and laisse-fair leadership style of the principal influences to a large extent the teaching effectiveness of business studies teachers in Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study       

Education is the greatest resource that society can provide to a child. The prosperity of a child in education affects the success that the child may achieve in life significantly. Fisher (2015) noted that all schools should be able to excel if the principal’s leadership style is a positive influence. Normally, principals’ leadership styles are seen in their behaviors and how they interrelate with teachers, students, parents, and other school staff.

If the principal has an effective leadership style, he or she can engender a positive climate in the school. Teachers, students, staff, and parents will come to feel more comfortable and satisfied with their children’s educational experience. However, if the principal is ineffective, then the opposite may equally be held true. School leadership is the process of enlisting and guiding the talents and energies of teachers, students and parents towards achieving common educational aims.

The term school leadership came into currency in the 20^th century for several reasons (Aacha, 2010). Demands were made on schools for higher level of pupil’s achievement, and schools were expected to improve and reform. These expectations were accompanied by calls for accountability at the school level. Maintenance and status quo was no longer considered acceptable.

Administration and management are terms that connect stability through the exercise of control and supervision. Hoadley (2017) adds that the principal or school head is commonly thought to be the school leader, however school leadership may include other persons such as members of a formal leadership team and other persons who contribute towards the aims of the school Teachers’ job performance are the duties performed by a teacher at a particular period in the school system in achieving organizational goals (Obilade, 2019).

Principals can therefore encourage effective performance of their teachers by identifying their needs and trying to satisfy or meeting them. How effective the principal is in performing these roles has been a matter of concern to many educationists (Aghenta, 2015). Research shows that many principals do not consider their leadership styles as crucial in the teachers’ effectiveness. Hence some of them seem to find it difficult to effectively administer their schools (Adeyemi, 2017). It is argued that effective leadership has a positive influence on the teaching effectiveness (Charlton, 2013).

Principals Leadership Styles on Teaching Effectiveness of Business Studies Teachers in Secondary Schools

Every leader in every organization performs certain roles/tasks for the smooth running of the organization and improvement of organizational performance. As a result, Ezeuwa (2015) sees it as the act of influencing people so that they strive willingly and enthusiastically towards the accomplishment of goals. In the same manner, Ukeje (2019) observes that leadership means influencing people to work willingly with zeal towards the achievement of the corporate goals. A leader cannot work alone; he must have people to influence, direct, carry along, sensitize and mobilize towards the achievement of the corporate goal. The manner that leader performs these roles and directs the affairs of the organization is referred to as his/her leadership style.

Leadership style therefore is the way a leader leads. Some leaders are more interested in the work to be done than in the people they work with while others pay more attention to their relationship with subordinates than the job. Whether a leader emphasizes the task or human relations is usually considered central to leadership style. Similarly, Chandan, (2017) asserted that leadership style is the ingredient of personality embodied in leader s that causes subordinates to follow them.

Okumbe, (2018) on the other hand posited that a leadership style is particular behaviors applied by a leader to motivate subordinates to achieve the objectives of the organization. The school principal is in a unique position as the manager or administrator who controls schools’ resources for the purpose of achievements educational goals and can accelerate the process of schools development or can demolish the progress of education (Adeyemi, 2017).

As such, a leadership style occupies an important position in school management. Leaders express leadership in many roles. These, among others, are: formulating aims and objectives, establishing structures, managing and motivating personnel and providing leadership (Daresh 2015).

Successful school principal have been taught to be flexible due to the different styles that are used in their administration process. The principal’s leadership style influences the efficiency and also the effectiveness of the teacher in the school system (Alageheband, 2017). Therefore, the Leadership style of a principal reflects on the principals’ behavior. This behavior is the main determinants of the teachers’ attitudes towards the teaching/learning process (Douglas, 2016).

However, it is imperative that principals learn and understand the importance of the styles they adopt to enhance positive performance in the schools. As such, leadership style occupies an important position in school administration as the principal who controls schools’ resources used them resulted in positive achievement of educational goals (Adeyemi, 2017).

Basically, such achievements in secondary schools are dependent on three identifiable leadership styles namely; autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire (Lunenberg & Ornstein, 2015). It seems however that many principals have not considered their styles of leadership as determinants of teaching effectiveness in their schools. Teaching effectiveness could be described as the act of accomplishing or executing a given tasks by teachers. On the other hand (Obilade, 2019) asserted that teaching effectiveness are the duties performed by a teacher at a particular period in the school system in achieving educational goals.

Supporting this argument, (Adepoju, 2016) identified the variables of teaching effectiveness as effective teaching, lesson note preparation, effective use of scheme of work, effective supervision, monitoring of students’ work and disciplinary ability. The author added that these virtues should be upheld effectively in the school system by teachers for effective teaching and learning. In this regard, the teaching effectiveness of teachers could be measured through annual report of his/her activities in terms of performance in teaching, lesson preparation, and lesson presentation, mastery of subject matter, competence, commitment to job and extra-curricular activities.

Ibukun, (2017) argued that the main task of the principal is to create a conducive atmosphere for the teachers to be able to achieve desired changes in students. He noted that teachers perform effectively under different leadership styles. Ijaiya, (2014) remarked that teachers in Nigeria express a desire for more participation in decision-making in the school system. Therefore, principals as educational leader play a pivotal role in the success of the school.

The successful implementation of the curriculum depends to a large extent, on delegation and sharing decision styles of principals that boost teachers’ job opportunities, satisfaction, career commitment and intention to complete the syllabus contents on terms scheduled. This then formed the background to this present study to investigate the effect of principals’ leadership styles on teaching effectiveness of business studies teachers in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

Principals, as instructional leader, focus on helping teachers to improve their classroom performance and make academic instruction as their schools top priority. Principals need to have the theoretical knowledge, skill and adequate experiences in school leadership and management and/or should have a profile of possession of various trainings on school leadership and management so as to play active and effective leadership style in school improvement programs.

However, most principals are hardly seen in their offices executing their duties, they neither delegate duties nor fully communicate to their teachers. This seems to reduce the level of performance affecting the teaching and learning process and/or cause undesirable outcome such as failure of student in examination, repetition rate drop out as well as other instructional activities at schools.

This backdrop therefore raises a question could the leadership style exhibited by the teacher influence the teaching effectiveness of the teachers? In the quest to provide answer to this question, a lot of researches have been conducted but none known by the researcher that has been conducted in Ikono Local Government Area during the period of this research. This motivated the researcher to investigate the effect of principals’ leadership styles on teaching effectiveness of business studies teachers in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area.

Principals Leadership Styles on Teaching Effectiveness of Business Studies Teachers in Secondary Schools

1.3    Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study was to examine principals’ leadership styles on teaching effectiveness of business studies teachers in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Specifically, the study sought to:

1. determine the influence of autocratic leadership style on teaching effectiveness of business studies teachers in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area;
2. determine the influence of democratic leadership style on teaching effectiveness of business studies teachers in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area; and
3. determine the influence of laissez-fair leadership style on teaching effectiveness of business studies teachers in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area.

1.4.    Research Questions

The study sought to answer the following research questions:

1. To what extent does autocratic leadership style influence the teaching effectiveness of business studies teachers?
2. To what extent does democratic leadership style influence the teaching effectiveness of business studies teachers?
3. To what extent does laissez-fair leadership style influence the teaching effectiveness of business studies teachers?

1.5     Statement of Hypotheses:

The following null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 levels of significance:

(i)  There is no significant influence of autocratic leadership style on the teaching effectiveness of Business Studies teachers

(ii) There is no significant influence of democratic leadership style on the teaching effectiveness of Business Studies teachers.

(iii) There is no significant influence of laissez-fair leadership style on the teaching effectiveness of Business Studies teachers

1.6.    Significance of the Study

The findings of this research have deep significance for the enhancement of secondary school teachers’ performance and satisfaction by prioritizing inside and outside performance in the study areas. Specifically the result of this research has the following importance for the school principals, teachers, students and others.

First, it may help the school leaders to be aware of the styles against the level of teacher performance and the practitioners’ principals to exercise efficient leadership styles so as to improve teachers’ effectiveness. It may help the school principals to revisit and enrich with new knowledge, theories, methodologies and practical behaviors leaders need in secondary schools and other institutions of learning in general for their motivating approach to make the teachers more effective.

The findings of this study would help the State Government to know principals’ leadership challenges and address them accordingly to enhance the principals’ styles in the schools. The findings of this study would help the Ministry of Education and other Educational Agencies in the State to know the importance of conducting seminar and workshop for principals and teachers in order to stress the importance of the democratic style of leadership to heads of schools.

Lastly it may serve as the reference and may call for further in-depth researchers on the topic, particularly principal leadership style and teachers’ motivation in the secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area.

1.7    Delimitation of the study

The study was delimited to principals’ leadership styles and teaching effectiveness of business studies teachers in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area. The principal leadership styles studied is autocratic, democratic and laissez-fair styles. This study was delimited to public junior secondary schools teachers currently teaching Business Studies in selected public secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area.

1.8    Definition of Operational Terms

 The following terms were defined as used in the study:

Leadership style: is the pattern of behaviours, which principals adopts to influence the behaviors of his/her teachers.

Principal’s leadership Style: Refers to the pattern or way principals involve teachers in decision-making; the way they communicate and the way they delegate duties to teachers.

Autocratic style: is a style that principals communicate irregularly to teaching staff with limited involvement in decision-making and less delegation.

Democratic style: is a style that principals regularly communicate with teaching staff and involve them in decision-making for more delegation of duties.

Laissez–Faire style: is a style that principals advocates minimal supervision and moderate involvement of teachers in the instructional process.

Teaching Effectiveness: Refers to the act of teaching, lesson planning, and assessment of students through giving tests, exercises and participation in co-curricular activities of the schools by teachers.

Principals Leadership Styles on Teaching Effectiveness of Business Studies Teachers in Secondary Schools

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter dealt with the summary of the study, recommendations, conclusion and suggestions for further studies.

5.1     Summary

The study was conducted to examine principal’s leadership style and teachers’ teaching effectiveness in business studies in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. To achieve the specific objectives of the study, three research questions and research hypotheses were formulated and tested. The literatures related to the study were reviewed. The population of the study included all principals and 16 Business studies teachers in secondary schools in all the public secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area. The sample size employed in the study was twenty (20) Business studies teachers in thirteen (13) public secondary schools in the study area.

A fifteen (15) item questionnaire titled “Questionnaire on Principal Leadership Style and Teaching Effectiveness (QPLSTE)” was used as the instrument for data collection while the survey research design was adopted in the study. The simple percentage and chi-square statistical method was adopted to analyze the data collected Findings revealed that autocratic principal’s leadership style give the principals the opportunity to monitor teachers’ work and make teachers to be committed to their duties to avoid criticism from the principal and this increase their teaching effectiveness of teachers in Business studies in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area.

Findings also revealed that principal’s democratic leadership style affect the teaching effectiveness of teachers, this is because teachers’ participation in decision making, views acceptance and concern for teachers’ plights increases teachers’ involvement in the teaching/learning process. In summary, the autocratic leadership style, democratic leadership style and laisse-fair leadership style of the principal influences to a large extent the teaching effectiveness of business studies teachers in Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

5.2     Conclusion

Based on the findings of the study, there is clear indication that principal’s leadership style has significant influence on teachers’ teaching effectiveness in business studies in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. There exists a significant influence of autocratic, democratic and laissez-fair principal’s leadership style and the teaching effectiveness of business studies teachers in secondary schools in Ikono Local Government Area. The study noted that different principals adopt different leadership style at different secondary schools, and each leadership style has effect on the teachers’ teaching effectiveness in such school.

On another hand, the principals face some leadership challenges in administering the school, and such challenges affect principals’ administrative capacity, staff job performance, and achievement of the school goals. This is because leadership styles of the principals either motivate or discourage teachers majority of the respondents had leadership styles evidenced by increased participation in decision-making, communication and delegation recognition, supervision, commanding control over other teachers in the school and the nature of the teaching profession and having realized their goal in life which was training the nation.

5.3     Recommendations

Based on the finding, the following recommendations were made:

1. The principals should adopt democratic leadership, people oriented leadership, and task–oriented leadership styles of administration in secondary schools, as these leadership styles will enhance staff job performance and goal achievement in the schools.
2. The state government should recruit adequate number and calibre of staff for each school to ensure optimum staff job performance.
3. The principals of various schools should adopt the findings of this study as a guide to their administrative activities in the schools.
4. The Akwa Ibom State Government should adopt the findings of this study on principals’ leadership challenges and address them accordingly to enhance teaching effectiveness of teachers.
5. Finally, it is our submission that when these recommendations are adopted and applied by both the principals and Akwa Ibom State Government, the secondary schools’ principals will improve their leadership style, and adequate staff job performance will be achieved in secondary schools in the area..

5.4     Suggestion for Further Studies

(1)  Teachers’ Leadership styles and academic performance of students in Business Studies in secondary in Ikono Local Government Area.

(2)  Classroom Leadership styles and academic performance of students in Business Studies in secondary in Ikono Local Government Area.