LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS OF PRINCIPALS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHER PERFORMANCE IN ENUGU STATE

Abstract

The research focused on examining how leadership styles of principal’s impact job performance of teachers in secondary schools in Enugu State. The study was guided by two research questions and tested two null hypotheses at a significance level of 0.05. A descriptive survey research design was employed for the study. The total population consisted of 835 participants, including 15 principals and 820 teachers from government-owned secondary schools in Enugu South L.G.A. The sample size was 425 participants, comprising 15 principals and 410 teachers. The entire population of principals was included in the study due to its manageable size, while the sample of teachers was selected using proportionate simple random sampling. Data collection was conducted using a researcher-structured questionnaire titled "Influence of Principals' Leadership Style on Teacher Job Performance Questionnaire (IPLSTJP)," which was validated by three experts from the Faculty of Education at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu. The collected data were analyzed using the Cronbach Alpha reliability estimate, with a reliability coefficient of 0.80 and 0.82 for research questions one and two, respectively. The overall reliability coefficient of the instrument was 0.81, indicating high reliability and suitability for data collection. The questionnaire was administered directly to the entire sample population of 425 participants with the assistance of two research assistants. Mean and standard deviation were used to address the four research questions. The study's findings revealed that both democratic and autocratic leadership styles significantly influence teachers' job performance in secondary schools. Based on these findings, the study recommended that principals and teachers explore new approaches to create a harmonious working environment that upholds teaching standards. This harmonious working environment can be achieved by adopting an open leadership style that allows for teacher participation in decision-making processes