Abstract:
This study investigated the effect of head teachers’ leadeship style on teacher
effectiveness in public Junior High Schools at Suhum, in the Suhum Municipality of
the Eastern Region of Ghana. This study was underpinned by the House and Mitchel’s
(1974) Path-goal theory, and employed a quantitative cross-sectional survey design.
Purposive and stratified random sampling strategies were used to select one hundred
and twenty-six (126) teacher respondents for this study. Quantitative data were
obtained through the use of a structured questionnaire. Data were analysed by using
both descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential
statistics (Linear Multiple Regression, and Independent Samples T-Test), and
organised under tables based on the research questions and hypothesis. The study
showed that even though head teachers practiced a blend of directive, supportive,
participative, and achievement-oriented leadership styles in the path-goal theory, the
directive leadership style was mostly practiced, followed by the participative
leadership style, achievement-oriented leadership style, and supportive leadership
style. Thus, directive leadership style was predominantly used by the head teachers
while supportive leadership style was the least used. It was also revealed that the level
of teacher effectiveness in public Junior High Schools at Suhum was very high, and
that all the components of teacher effectiveness used in the study also recorded very
high levels. Nevertheless, teaching skills recorded the highest mean, followed by
interpersonal relations, classroom management skills, and descipline and regularity.
Interestingly, the findings revealed no statistically significant effect of the head
teachers’ leadership style on teacher effectiveness. The study also established a
statistically significant difference in teacher effectiveness in public Junior High
Schools at Suhum in relation to the sex of the teachers. Among the recommendations
is that the Directorate of the Ghana Education Service at the Suhum Municipality
should organise regular workshops and in-service training programmes to equip the
head teachers of public Junior High Schools at Suhum with improved knowledge and
skills to appropriately utilise leadership styles, especially with achievement-oriented
and supportive leadership styles to improve teacher effectiveness.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Educational Administration and
Management, Faculty of educational Studies, submitted
to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Educational Administration and Management)
in the University of Education, Winneba
