Leadership styles of school administrators of senior high schools and its effects on academic performance in the Kumasi Metropolis

Abstract

The study investigated the leadership styles of school administrators of senior high schools and its effects on academic performance in the Kumasi Metropolis. Among the issues studied included the roles heads play the practices they employ to improve students’ academic performance, the relationship between school administrators’ leadership styles and students’ academic performance and differences in leadership styles used by low and high performing Senior High School heads within the Kumasi Metropolis. The study was a cross sectional survey and was based on the use of questionnaires. Primary and secondary data were also used. In selecting respondents, the researcher employed convenience and simple random techniques to select 200 respondents, 150 students and 50 teachers from selected senior high schools in the Kumasi Metropolis. The study revealed that heads play and employ several roles to help improve academic performance of students. These include showing high levels of support and concern, inspires students and teachers to do their best, use persuasive and influential tactics to accomplish academic goals. The study revealed that there was no significant association between the leadership style of heads and the academic performance of students. It was revealed that the most dominant leadership styles of high ranking senior school was transformational leadership, followed by democratic and autocratic leadership styles. Among low ranking senior high schools the most dominant leadership style were laissez-faire, democratic and autocratic leadership styles. Among the recommendations were that heads should be trained on leadership styles. Ghana Education Service should organize workshops and training programmes for heads on leadership from time to time.