Head teachers’ leadership styles and teacher effectiveness in public junior high schools at Suhum, Ghana

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.