HEAD TEACHER’S LEADERSHIP STYLE AND TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS IN PRIMARY

HEAD TEACHER’S LEADERSHIP STYLE AND TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS IN PRIMARY
  

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            Background to the Study

Head teachers play the most essential role in the school in all aspects ranging from the daily management of the school to fostering high standard as well as high-quality educational practice. Headteacher prays a crucial role in school-wide effort to raise the standard of teaching, student learning, and achievement (Day, 2004). The role of the primary school Headteacher focuses on curriculum and instructional development, instructional supervision, teachers evaluation, research and experimentation, provision of resources and continuous development of teaching and learning Gwiyo, Njuguna, Waweru, Nyamweya, Nyamboa, and Gongora, 2014).

The leadership of the Headteacher in Primary school is known to be a key factor in teaching effectiveness. This will directly support the student’s achievement. School leadership is the most important element in the success of the school (Dinham, 2005, Tounsend, 2007). The Headteacher is the overall responsibility for the operation of the school. He is accountable to the school performance. According to Shuster (1973), the principal (Head Teacher) is the leader in the school, the pivot around which many aspects of the school revolves and the person in charge of every detail of the running of the school be it academic or administrative. This was asserted by Liphan (1994) when the state that, the head teacher is a leader, “a thinker and a decision maker” the Headteacher is responsible for the school’s climate, for the outcome of productivity and for the satisfaction attained by the pupils and teachers in the school culmination in teaching effectiveness. The level of productivity depends, to a large extent, on the attitudes of teachers towards work. This implies that the head teachers are responsible for the attitudes display by teachers at work. His is the one who empowers others, encourages creativity, and flexibility. He is also the one who promote collaborative planning and share decision-making in an effort to develop trust throughout the school setting and harness these qualities as a catalyst for successful school restructuring and reform.

The importance of the role of the head teacher on the school organization cannot, therefore, be overlooked. He is very unique in the school organization. The head teacher can be described as the school manager. The leadership for teachers and pupils, coordinating both human and material resources to ensure the achievement of organization goals, in a primary school system, the head teacher as an administrator influences his teachers to inculcate a positive attitude to work and thereby facilitating teaching effectiveness and the achievement of the goals and objectives of the school. This can only be achieved by adopting an appropriate leadership style.

The leadership style of the head teacher plays an important role in effective school administration. According to Mukeredzi and Chireshe (2005), leadership styles have a bearing on the achievement of the goals of the school. Leadership style can roughly be referred to as the behavior of a leader in which he/she influences the followers camp bell (1990) observed that what a leader choose to do when he/she does it, and the manner in which he/she acts constitute his/her leadership style. It is significantly important to note that the head teacher behavior influences teachers’ engagement with students which results in a measured impact on students performance. This means that the effective performance of a teacher which lead to teaching effectiveness is a function of both his personal characteristics and the individual environment created through the leadership style of the head teacher. A careful consideration of knowledge, skills, experience, attitudes, and motivation of teachers is necessary to promote productivity and efficiency in teaching. Consideration in this context is regard for comfort, well-being, status and contribution of teachers.

It is the leadership behavior that is indicative of friendship, mutual trust, respect and warmth to his/her teachers. It is generally recognized that the effective headteacher provides direction to the school while at the same time support the effort of teachers (Liphan, (1964). As pointed out by Duignan (2006), it is only with a shift in the focus from a managerial style of school leadership to a teacher-focused style of leadership that school improvement will increase and pupils achievement will rise. This will boost teachers’ attitude to work with the treads in Abak Local Government Area, it becomes obvious that effective leadership style is necessary in order to enhance better quality of instruction in the school as an organization. The attainment of educational goals depends so much on the devotion of the teachers, which on the other hand is a direct result from the satisfaction they derived from the head teacher leadership style. It then means that the head teacher must operate the school with suitable leadership style. It is therefore pertinent that the head teacher administers the school system with an appropriate and effective leadership style that would help to enhance teaching effectiveness in primary schools. It is against this background that the researcher seeks to examine whether there is a relationship between the head teacher’s leadership styles and teaching effectiveness in primary schools in Abak Local Government Area.

1.2            Statement of the Problem

The poor academic performance of pupils in primary schools has been alarming and a source of great concern to all stakeholders in the educational sector. It is heart-rending when one considers the huge amount of money parents spend in the education of their children who do not produce commensurate performance in their academics to match the huge investment made on them. Abak Local Government Area shares in this problem of the education sector despite benefiting in the huge financial investment in the free and compulsory Basic education in Akwa Ibom State.

It is generally perceived that the head teacher leadership style is one of the major factors in the decline in teaching effectiveness. This is seen in teachers poor attitude to teaching, lateness to school and a high rate of irregularity. Teaching effectiveness is therefore predicated on the effectiveness of the head teacher leadership style. Therefore the problem of this study is whether there is a relationship between headteacher leadership style and teaching effectiveness in primary schools in Abak Local Government Area. 

   

1.3            Purpose of the Study

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate headteacher leadership styles and teaching effectiveness in primary schools in Abak Local Government Area. Specifically, the study is aimed at deterring whether:

i.                   Head teacher’s leadership style relates to teaching effectiveness.

ii.                 Head teacher’s autocratic leadership style relates to teaching effectiveness.

iii.              Head teacher’s democratic leadership style relates to teaching effectiveness iv

.              Head teacher’s laissez-faire leadership style relates to teaching effectiveness.

1.4            Research Question

The following research question were posed to guide the study:

1.     How does the head teacher’s autocratic leadership style relate to teaching effectiveness?

2.     How does the head teacher’s democratic leadership style.

3.     To what extent does the head teacher’s laissez-faire leadership style relates to teaching effectiveness.

1.5            Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses were generate to guide the study:

1.     There is no significant relationship between the head teacher’s autocratic leadership style and teaching effectiveness.

2.     There is no significant relationship between the head teacher’s democratic leadership style and teaching effectiveness.

3.     There is no significant relationship between the head teacher’s laissez-faire leadership style and teaching effectiveness.

1.6            Significance of the Study

A study of this nature are significant in many ways. Generally, research funding serves as reference materials for researchers as well and find the solution to problems in a relevant field.

1.     This study will bring to high, the dimension in which the head teacher’s leadership style affect teaching effectiveness in primary schools. The findings of the study would enable universities, teachers training college to improve the scope and quality of pre-service and in-service preparatory programmes for school administrators. Possibly leadership could be taken as a course of its own.

2.     The study is likely to benefit primary school head teachers as they would be able to re-examine and appraise their own leadership style and thus improve on their weak areas and thereby improve on the overall academic performance of the school.

3.     The findings are likely to make teachers appreciate the role played by a good style of leadership in the enhancement of the school’s performance.

4.     Consequently, it is hope that the study will bring out better ways in which leadership in school might be applied in order to motivate teachers thereby enhances teaching effectiveness.  

1.7            Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study was carried out in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. The study was limited to the opinions of the respondents as indicated in the questionnaire on the head teacher’s leadership styles and teaching effectiveness.

1.8            Limitation of the Study

This study is constrained by lack of funds to expand the scope beyond Abak Local Government Area. This study is also constrained by a lack of cooperation on the part of the respondent.

1.9            Definition of Terms

Teacher: A person whose job is teaching especially in a primary school.

Head Teacher: A person who leads teachers and pupils in primary school.

Leadership Style: This is the leadership behavior of lead teacher and how he interacts or inter-relates with teachers, students, staff and parents. It is what a leader choose to do when he does it and the manner in which he acts.