RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRINCIPALS’ LEADERSHIP STYLES AND TEACHERS’ JOB SATISFACTION IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The study examined the relationship between principals’ leadership styles and teachers’ job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Anambra State. The study was guided by two research questions and two null hypotheses. The study was a correlational survey design. The population of the study comprised 5149 teachers in 267 public secondary schools in Anambra State. The sample of 515 teachers was used for the study. The study adopted multi-stage sampling technique for the study. The researcher-developed instruments titled: “Principals’ Leadership Styles Questionnaire (PLSQ) and “Teachers’ Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (TJSQ)” were used for the study. The instruments were subjected to face validation by three experts. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha Coefficient method and the average coefficient for PLSQ is 0.83 and 0.92 for TJSQ which was considered reliable and suitable for the study. Data collected for the study were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The findings showed that principals’ autocratic, democratic and transformational leadership styles exhibit a positive relationship with teachers’ job satisfaction while principals’ laissez faire leadership style was negatively related to teachers’ job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Anambra State. The study also revealed that significant relationship exists between principals’ leadership styles (autocratic, democratic, laissez faire and transformational) and teachers’ job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Anambra State. The study therefore concludes that teachers’ job satisfaction can be said to have been achieved, when the appropriate leadership styles that engenders teachers’ job satisfaction has been identified and likewise that specific components of the leadership styles 

that relate more to teachers’ job satisfaction are known and applied. The study recommended among others that since principals’ leadership styles have shown a positive and significance relationship with teachers’ job satisfaction, Teachers Service Commission should consider leadership style of principals during the process of selection and recruitment of principals in order to sustain the teachers’ job satisfaction in Anambra State.