IMPLEMENTATION OF LEADERSHIP STYLES AND TEACHERS‟ PREFERENCES IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF HARAR CITY

Abstract

The leadership styles adopted by school leaders significantly influence teachers‟ motivation, satisfaction, and overall performance, ultimately impacting educational outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore school leadership styles and teachers‟ preferences in public secondary schools in Harar City. Particularly, this study aimed to identify the most dominant school leadership styles, explore current status of teachers‟ preferences under each leadership style, and assess the value of various school leadership activities. To attain the objectives, this research employed a descriptive survey design and explanatory method for analyzing the data gathered through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The teachers‟ questionnaire was distributed to 172 secondary school teachers, and 63 other school leaders, including vice principals, unit leaders, and department heads, filled out the Secondary School Leaders‟ questionnaire. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with six school supervisors and six secondary school principals. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 24, employing descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multiple linear regression) for a comprehensive analysis. Conversely, the qualitative data were systematically coded by identifying patterns and themes based on semantic resemblance. This process involved grouping similar concepts and ideas to facilitate a deeper understanding and interpretation of the underlying meanings within the data. The study revealed that public secondary schools in Harar predominantly implement transactional and democratic leadership styles while transformational leadership is the least utilized. It was also found that teachers in Harar's public secondary schools most preferred democratic, transformational, and transactional leadership styles, which suggests that these leadership approaches are more active in motivating teachers than autocratic or laissez-faire leadership styles. Moreover, this study showed that school leaders are seen as successful in fostering a safe and inclusive school environment, their influence on student academic performance and the provision of resources is perceived with more ambivalence. Based on the key findings, the researcher recommends that school leaders in Harar incorporate into their practices more transformational leadership activities (empowering teachers by providing opportunities for autonomy, creativity, and professional growth; stimulating intellectual curiosity and critical thinking among teachers and staff through challenging assumptions, fostering innovation, and promoting continuous learning and development …) for enhancing both teacher motivation and learning outcome