Influence of head teachers’ leadership styles on teachers’ performance in the Asantekwa circuit of the Kintampo North municipality

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of head teachers’ leadership style on performance of teachers in Asentekwa Circuit. A qualitative research design, specifically the case study approach was employed for the study. Interview guide and observation schedule were used to gather data from head teachers and teachers in the circuit. A total of ten 10 head teachers and ten 10 teachers were selected using purposive sampling technique. Data was collected through the in-depth individual interviews and a focus group discussion. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings from the study revealed that respondents saw a leader as a person entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the progress of a school through the maximum utilization of both human and material resources. On leadership styles, the respondents mentioned democratic and autocratic leadership styles as familiar ones. The common leadership style used by the head teachers was the democratic style. An appropriate leadership style used by a head teacher comes with a positive influence on the performance of the teacher. It was recommended that head teachers should be more democratic in their approach to promote cooperation, teamwork and creativity on the part of teachers. However, they should vary their leadership styles based on the situation at hand.