Impact of Educational Leadership on Teacher Performance: A Case of Public Primary Schools in Asem Circuit of Kumas Metropolis

Practitioners of education have acknowledged leadership as a very significant tool for educational institutions, in view of the fact that it is the backbone for the success of every institution. Leadership reflects in every aspect of the school, that is, pupils and teachers‘performance. Poor leadership has several negative effects on an institution such as low morale and turnover, whereas effective leadership builds coalitions between stakeholders for better performance. The key to produce a conducive atmosphere in the school is an answer to the question what really enhances teachers‘ performance. This study sought to describe the impact of educational leadership on how teachers perform in public primary schools at Asem Circuit in the Kumasi Metropolis, by identifying the leadership styles adopted to manage teacher performance, the factors that influence headteachers‘ adoption of leadership styles and impact of the adopted leadership styles on the performance of public primary school teachers at Asem Circuit. The study employed qualitative research design with descriptive method and case study approach,with questionnaire, interview and document analysis to gather data from a purposive sampling of teachers and headteachers in the study area. The study sought data from 10 headteachers and 53 teachers who worked directly under the supervision of the headteachers at the 10 public primary schools at Asem Circuit in the Kumasi Metropolis. The findings of the study show that, headteachers adopt four different types of leadership styles, with Democratic being the highest, followed by Autocratic, then Laisse-faire and Transformational leadership styles. Majority (90%) of the headteachers have fair understanding of the leadership style they employ. The study reveals that, 80% of the headteachers have never attended leadership training. The study further revealed that, Autocratic leadership style is adopted by headteachers when teachers failed to perform their duties, such as, lesson notes preparation, inappropriate classroom management approach, not being punctual and failing to perform other duties assigned by headteachers. Democratic leadership style is adopted when headteachers want the views of teachers in decision-making, this is done at staff meetings, Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meetings and In-Service Education and Training (INSET). Laissez faire is adopted when teachers do what is expected of them, that is, performing their duties as expected of them and Transformational leadership style is adopted when teachers are willing to perform their duties. The study also revealed that Democratic leadership style makes teachers put up good performance, Autocratic leadership create apathy and discipline among teachers, Laissez-faire breed laziness and indiscipline among teachers, whereas Transformational leadership motivate teachers to give of their best performance. The study concluded thatheadteachers lacked full understanding of the leadership styles and that affected its usage on the teachers to effect good performance. Again, headteachers adopted leadership styles were influenced by their own intuition through the level of cooperation and dedication to duty by teachers. It was recommended that as a matter of policy and to enhance full appreciation of the various leadership styles, GES should have a policy on leadership training or conferences for headteachers, most especially newly appointed headteachers. Again, headteachers must practice a multi-faceted leadership approach so as to adequately manage varied behavioural trait of teachers with the view to bringing the best out of them. Finally, there should be periodic assessment conducted by headteachers to verify the impact a leadership style has made, as a result of its application to ascertain its efficacy.

Source: KNUST