LEADERSHIP STYLES OF HEAD TEACHER AND CAREGIVERS TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS

Abstract

This study was on leadership styles of head teacher and caregivers teaching effectiveness. Three objectives were raised which included: To ascertain whether Head teacher’s leadership style relates to teaching effectiveness, to find out the relationship between leadership styles of head teacher and caregivers teaching effectives and to ascertain the best leadership style suitable for head teacher and caregiver teaching effectiveness. The total population for the study is 75 selected staffs of primary schools in Ikeja, Lagos state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies

Chapter one

Introduction

1.1Background of the study

Head teachers play the most essential role in the school in all aspects ranging from the daily management of the school to fostering high standard as well as high-quality educational practice. Head teacher prays a crucial role in school-wide effort to raise the standard of teaching, student learning, and achievement (Day, 2004). The role of the primary school Head teacher focuses on curriculum and instructional development, instructional supervision, teachers evaluation, research and experimentation, provision of resources and continuous development of teaching and learning Gwiyo, Njuguna, Waweru, Nyamweya, Nyamboa, and Gongora, 2014).

The leadership of the Headteacher in Primary school is known to be a key factor in teaching effectiveness. This will directly support the student’s achievement. School leadership is the most important element in the success of the school (Dinham, 2005, Tounsend, 2007). The Headteacher is the overall responsibility for the operation of the school. He is accountable to the school performance. According to Shuster (1973), the principal (Head Teacher) is the leader in the school, the pivot around which many aspects of the school revolves and the person in charge of every detail of the running of the school be it academic or administrative. This was asserted by Liphan (1994) when the state that, the head teacher is a leader, “a thinker and a decision maker” the Headteacher is responsible for the school’s climate, for the outcome of productivity and for the satisfaction attained by the pupils and teachers in the school culmination in teaching effectiveness. The level of productivity depends, to a large extent, on the attitudes of teachers towards work. This implies that the head teachers are responsible for the attitudes display by teachers at work. His is the one who empowers others, encourages creativity, and flexibility. He is also the one who promote collaborative planning and share decision-making in an effort to develop trust throughout the school setting and harness these qualities as a catalyst for successful school restructuring and reform.

The importance of the role of the head teacher on the school organization cannot, therefore, be overlooked. He is very unique in the school organization. The head teacher can be described as the school manager. The leadership for teachers and pupils, coordinating both human and material resources to ensure the achievement of organization goals, in a primary school system, the head teacher as an administrator influences his teachers to inculcate a positive attitude to work and thereby facilitating teaching effectiveness and the achievement of the goals and objectives of the school. This can only be achieved by adopting an appropriate leadership style.

 One key behaviour head teachers can practice to improve the quality of instruction in school is effective professional interaction with teachers. This interaction is best regarded as support supervision. Nonetheless, the quality and extent of support supervision teachers are provided seem to depend, to a large extent, on the kind of leadership approach a given head teacher uses, other factors notwithstanding. Head teachers lead and manage all aspects of the school with an aim of improving the standards and performance of learners. Like all other institutions, the success of any school is dependent on its leadership and commitment of all its stakeholders. Greenleaf (2001)

Teachers as caregivers are in the forefront to be rich and powerful resources for those children who feel frustrated, helpless, and angry. As clarified by Deiro (1996), ‘Children value adults who value them. Thus, children who are living in seemingly intolerable situations but have a prosocial adult outside their home environment who cares about them will adjust their behavior to carefully safeguard that relationship’ (pp. 3–4). Noddings (1984) articulates that student–teacher relationships provide a rich arena in which students are transformed by an ethic of care

Care translates into interventions that are in the best educational, emotional, and psychological interest of the students (Morgan, 1987). In addition, caring for students suggests looking at oneself critically and reflectively as one move to address issues of human well-being and the day to-day complexities of teaching.

When students fail to receive care within the classroom, they are often reduced to a ‘case’ or a ‘number.’ This may be especially true for children in special education classrooms where teachers are often driven by the mandates of an individualized education plan (IEP) and data analysis. At other times, special education teachers may have difficulty bonding to some students due to their undesirable behaviors (Morgan, 1987). This the major reason this study is carried out to investigate the leadership styles of head teacher and caregivers teaching effectiveness

Statement of the problem

The poor academic performance of pupils in primary schools has been alarming and a source of great concern to all stakeholders in the educational sector. It is heart-rending when one considers the huge amount of money parents spend in the education of their children who do not produce commensurate performance in their academics to match the huge investment made on them. This problem of the education sector despite benefiting in the huge financial investment in the free and compulsory Basic education.

It is generally perceived that the head teacher leadership style is one of the major factors in the decline in caregivers teaching effectiveness. This is seen in teacher’s poor attitude to teaching, lateness to school and a high rate of irregularity. Teaching effectiveness is therefore predicated on the effectiveness of the head teacher leadership style. Therefore the problem of this study is whether there is a relationship between head teacher leadership style and caregivers teaching effectiveness in primary schools

Purpose of the study

The purpose of the study is to investigate leadership styles of head teacher and caregivers teaching effectiveness. The specific purposes are;

1. To ascertain whether Head teacher’s leadership style relates to teaching effectiveness.
2.  To find out the relationship between leadership styles of head teacher and caregivers teaching effectives
3.  To ascertain the best leadership style suitable for head teacher and caregiver teaching effectiveness.

Research Question

The following research questions were formulated;

1. What is Head teacher’s leadership style relates to teaching effectiveness?
2. What is the relationship between leadership styles of head teacher and caregivers teaching effectives
3. What is the best leadership style suitable for head teacher and caregiver teaching effectiveness

Research Hypotheses

The following research hypotheses were formulated;

H0: Head teacher’s leadership style do not relates to teaching effectiveness

H1: Head teacher’s leadership style relates to teaching effectiveness

H0: there is no relationship between leadership styles of head teacher and caregivers teaching effectives

H2: there is relationship between leadership styles of head teacher and caregivers teaching effectives

H0: there is no best leadership style suitable for head teacher and caregiver teaching effectiveness

H3: there is best leadership style suitable for head teacher and caregiver teaching effectiveness

Significance of the study

A study of this nature is significant in many ways. Generally, research funding serves as reference materials for researchers as well and find the solution to problems in a relevant field.

1.     This study will bring to high, the dimension in which the head teacher’s leadership style affects caregivers teaching effectiveness in primary schools. The findings of the study would enable universities, teachers training college to improve the scope and quality of pre-service and in-service preparatory programmes for school administrators. Possibly leadership could be taken as a course of its own.

2.     The study is likely to benefit primary school head teachers as they would be able to re-examine and appraise their own leadership style and thus improve on their weak areas and thereby improve on the overall academic performance of the school.

3.     The findings are likely to make teachers appreciate the role played by a good style of leadership in the enhancement of the school’s performance.

4.     Consequently, it is hope that the study will bring out better ways in which leadership in school might be applied in order to motivate teachers thereby enhances teaching effectiveness.  

Scope and limitation of the study

The scope of the study covers leadership styles of head teacher and caregivers teaching effectiveness

Limitations/constraints are inevitable in carrying out a research work of this nature. However, in the course of this research, the following constraints were encountered thus:

1. Non-availability of enough resources (finance): A work of this nature is very tasking financially, money had to be spent at various stages of the research such resources which may aid proper carrying out of the study were not adequately available.
2. Time factor: The time used in carrying out the research work is relatively not enough to bring the best information out of it. However, I hope that the little that is contained in this study will go a long way in solving many greater problems.

Definition of Terms

Teacher: A person whose job is teaching especially in a primary school.

Head Teacher: A person who leads teachers and pupils in primary school. Leadership Style: This is the leadership behavior of lead teacher and how he interacts or inter-relates with teachers, students, staff and parents. It is what a leader chooses to do when he does it and the manner in which he acts.

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