TEACHERS' PERCEPTION OF PRINCIPAL ADMINISTRATIVE STYLES ON STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Teachers’ perception of principal administrative styles on student academic performance in public schools in Owerri Municipality.   

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background to the study

Perception is a concept that is widely used but with little understanding. The enhancement of each perception and its importance in today’s educational system cannot be overemphasized. It is noted that one of the most important characteristics of a school as an organization is the nature of the relationship that exists between students and teachers. Student’s interest cannot sometimes be known if the teacher is not aware of those things that the students need and value. Perhaps that is why Denga (2001) said that his first commandment to teachers into the kingdom of professional competency would be “thou shall pay attention to students affective domain just like their cognitive domain”.

Federal education initiatives are holding each state accountable for the education of all children through close monitoring of individual student data at the district and school level. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include requirements for states to meet Adequate Yearly Progress objectives and performance standards set by federal policy (No Child Left Behind Act, Public Law 107-110, 2001, Baker, Betebenner & Linn, 2002). This pervasive accountability system places statewide student testing results as one of the final determinations of school improvement efforts. 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 student achievement will rise (Bredson, 2005, Lazaridou, 2006).

The actions of school leaders impact school capacity and may either enhance or diminish student achievement. School capacity is defined as the collective power of a school staff to raise student achievement (King & Youngs, 2002). The effective educational leader is one who has the ability to develop a school’s capacity to enhance student learning through the motivation of teachers, staff and students (Daley, Guarino & Santibanez, 2006). Such leadership is determined by the followers, not the leaders (Bhindi, Hansen, Rall, Riley, & Smith, 2008). Therefore, it may be claimed that student achievement is effected by the teacher’s perception of school leadership.

School administrators who build school capacity through an effective leadership style may influence student achievement through teachers (Christie, Thompson, & Whiteley,  2009). The school leader must have or be able to develop the capacity to work with staff to focus on curriculum, instruction and student learning gains (Fullen, 2001). The perception of the school administrator is often as a person who manages a school and not as a person who is an instructional leader. The leader’s daily activities and decisions reflect the pervasive focus and style of the school’s leadership (Noonan & Walker, 2008). A teacher-focused leader works toward the development of school capacity which builds upon positive teacher capacity with the end results increasing student achievement.

The outcome of a student’s education as evidenced through test scores is often determined by the focus and effectiveness of a school’s leadership (Leithwood, 2005 & 2008). The educational leader’s role is to hire and motivate teachers to raise student learning gains (Hoy & Woolfolk, 1993, Janzi & Leithwood, 1996). Students reveal their ability to learn through their measured achievement, attendance, and participation in school activities. However, it is the students’ perception of their teachers that sets the daily learning process in motion. Further, it is the teacher’s perception of how they are valued and supported by their school’s leadership that often has an influence on their daily decisions to motivate students (Bandura, 2003, Demir, 2008).

It is important to emphasize that student’s need friendship, sympathy and encouragement, as these attribute will enable them put in more effort when they realize that their teachers have genuine consideration for them. An affective teacher is therefore expected to recognize that each learner is different in thought, personality, needs and abilities. He ensures that each student is helped to develop full mental capabilities. He uses different techniques, communication skills and instructional medium to reach to every member of the classroom for effective academic performance. 

Leadership in the other is as old as humans organization in most societies, whether traditional or modern, certain rules, norms and regulation are established to regulate the behaviour and conduct of all and sundry. If is the kind of leadership style provided that can harness the activities of an organization.

        In Nigeria, the administration and control of education is vested by law in the federal, state and local governments. The federal and the state governments carry out their responsibility through ministries of education which exercise administrative and professional duties which teachers have the day-to-day responsibility for what takes place in the school under the immediate direction of the principals.

        With the trends in the Nigeria educational system, it become obvious that effective leadership is necessary in order to enhance better quality of instruction in the school as an organization. The school as a social system has two main groups of peoples; the leader and the led. The led are answerable to the leader and the leaders to the higher authorities according to the line up in the educational administration hierarchy. The attainment of the organizational goals depends so much on the devotion of the leds, which on the other hand results particularly from the satisfaction which the led derive from the leader. It then means that the leader needs make sure he operates with a suitable leadership style. Where the relationship between the leader and the led is rigid, there is likely to be a lot of frustration among workers in the origination. But if the relationship is cordial, it must surely influence the behaviours and professional attitudes of the led for good, so the type of leader led relationship in a school system goes a long way to determine the extend to which the school objectives goals are achieved. The principals has to maintain a cordial relationship with his staff as he leads to enable him not only to assess his teachers’ potentialities, stimulate better professional attitude from them towards the teaching and learning process but also help him to worker them persistently and consistently without problems. Knezeriech (2005) asserted that the leader follower relationship is based on symposis with the leader utilizing the know-how technical capacity, and performance standard of his follower to achieve his or her organizational goals. Followers, ‘utilize the led satisfaction controlled by the leader to satisfy  themselves. Since the process is an international one, it is pertinent that principals should administered the primary school system with enough leadership styles that would help to foster the teachers maximum efforts in achievement of not only the school goals and objectives but also the nation. It is on this basis that this study seek to determine teachers’ perception of principals’ administrative styles on students academic performance in Owerri Municipality.

1.2    Statement of the problem

This study's research problem examined how school leadership style, as perceived by teachers, impacted student achievement. The leadership styles of principals are interpreted and defined through their teachers. It is assumed that principal leadership behaviors influence teacher engagement with students which results in a measured impact on student performance. The framework of situational leadership theory maintains that leaders have the opportunity to select the style which positively influences their effective practices, role modeling and high expectations to enhance school improvement (Blase & Blase, 1999).

Consequently, the improvement of teacher capacity directly relates to the selected  style when a teacher witnesses a leader’s belief system that supports them professionally (Barnett, Craven & Marsh, 2005).

There is a knowledge gap in education research studies on teacher-focused leadership styles that effect student achievement. To help close this gap, the variables of this study identified the principal’s of leadership styles, as perceived by their teachers, the status of schools as improving or non-improving, and the school’s student achievement.

Leithwood, a leading researcher on transformational leadership, advocated the need for additional research on the impact of leadership style on student achievement. Leithwood conducted studies which found transformational and transactional styles of leadership encourage staff collaboration, teacher improvement, and a higher teacher perception of leadership which impacts the overall school culture. This author espoused that the most powerful strategy to drive teacher actions is principal visibility while carrying out actions toward increasing student achievement (Leithwood, 1992, 2005 & 2008). Hence, this study offers supplementary and expanded research on the examination of the leadership style of the principal, as perceived by the teachers in improving and non-improving schools on student achievement.     

The performance of students in Owerri secondary school is degrading day by day and so many people are wondering what should be the cause of this  success of any educational system depends so much on the personnel to implement it. The school system and consequently its manage day to day administration is in the hand as the principals and the teachers. The leadership style adopted by principal significantly influence teachers’ attitude to work this may influence academic outcome of students. It is in the light of the above that this study seeks to investigate the teachers’ perception of principal administrative styles on student academic performance in public schools in Owerri Municipality.

       

1.3    Purpose of the study

          The study seeks to investigate teachers’ perception of principal administrative styles on student academic performance in public schools in Owerri Municipality.   Specifically the study is aim at determining whether;

i.      Teacher perception of principal’s leaderships style generally influence students academic performance.

ii.      Teacher perception of principal autocratic leadership style relate to students academic performance.

iii.     Teacher perception of principal’s democratic leadership style relate with students academic performance.

iv.     Teacher perception of principal’s laissez-faire leadership style contribute to students academic performance.

1.4    Research questions

          The following research questions were posed to guide the study.

i.      To what extent does teacher perception of principals’ leadership style influence students academic performance?

ii.      To what extent does teacher perception of principals’ autocratic leadership style enhance students academic performance?

iii.     How does teacher perception of principal’s democratic leadership style influence students academic performance?

iv.     To what extent does teacher perception of principal’s laissez-faire leadership style enhance students academic performance?

1.5    Statement of hypotheses

          The following hypotheses were generated to guide the study.

i.      There is no significant influence of teachers’ perception of principal’s leadership style on students academic performance.

ii.      There is no significant relationship between teachers’ perception of principal’s autocratic leadership style and students academic performance.

iii.     There is no significant relationship between teachers’ perception of principal’s democratic leadership style and students academic performance.

iv.     There is no significant relationship between teachers’ perception of principal’s lassie-faire leadership  style and students academic performance.

1.6    Significance of the study

          This study will be significant to government administrators, principals, classroom teachers, proprietors of schools and parents is the representative of the entire population.

A study of this nature is significant in many ways. Generally, research finding serves as a reference material for researchers as well as find solutions to problem in relevant field. This study will bring into light the dimension in which perception of principal’s leadership style affect teaching/learning process.

It will assist teachers to improve their teaching technique knowing that student’s perception about them affect their performances and it also reveal the right way to handle students.

To the parents the study will help them adopt good leadership style for proper child upbringing. To the teachers, the study will stimulate them more to work harder.  The study will also motivate the principal to adopt a good leadership style for the school.

1.7    Scope of the study

          This study was carried out in Owerri Municipality. The study was delimited to teachers perception of principal leadership styles and it impact on student academic performance in public schools in Owerri Municipality.

1.8    Limitations of the study

          This study is constrained by the lack of funds to have expanded the scope beyond only one local government area.

This study is constrained by lack of cooperation on the part of the respondent.

1.9    Definition of terms

Perception: This is the process of becoming aware of objects, acquiring, interpreting, selecting, and organizing sensory information by the sense organs. It is the way things are notice especially with the senses.

Performance: how well or badly you do something, the act or process of performing a task or an action.

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

Principal: is a person who leads teachers and students in the school.

Leadership style: the state or position of being a leader, a leadership contest, the ability to be a leader or the qualities of a good leader should have leadership qualities.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

        This chapter deals with the review of related literature on the topic: principals leadership style and teacher performance. The review of literature is organized under the following sub-titles.

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