Perceived leadership style and competencies of school principals in relation to perceived teacher's competencies / Jocelyn C. Alvis. 6

Thesis (M.A.) -- Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, 2002.;A thesis presented to the faculty of Graduate School of Arts, Sciences and Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in School Principalship. 56

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ABSTRACT: The leadership style of the principal is to nurture, develop and reinforce leadership whenever it is found to further the shared purpose of the school. Leadership of principals does not just happen. It is a planned process of interaction in a social setting wherein goals that are mutually satisfying to the school organization and the individuals in the school are established, and means are developed to achieve them. Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions: 1. What are the demographic profile of school principals in terms of: a) age b) gender c) civil status d) educational qualification e) years in service 2. What is the perceived leadership style of the Principals when grouped according to: a) Autocratic b) Democratic c) Laissez-faire 3. What are the perceived competencies of the elementary and high school principals when grouped according to: a) responsibility b) authority c) delegation of authority 4. What are the perceived competencies of teachers of frequency tally when grouped according to: a) Elementary b) High School 5. Is there significant relationship between the perceived leadership style of principals and perceived competencies of teachers? 6. Is there significant relationship between perceived competencies of principals and perceived competencies of teachers? To answer the aforementioned questions, the following null hypotheses were tested at 5% el of significance: 1. There is no significant relationship between the perceived leadership style of principals and competencies of teachers. 2. There is no significant relationship between perceived competencies of principals and competencies of teachers. Using the descriptive and survey methods of research, the study was participated by 13 principals and 238 teachers representing twenty percent (20%) of the total teacher's population of the Division. The data collected were based on the questionnaires regarding leadership style for principals, RAD Index Scale, and competencies of teachers. The results obtained were tested, compared, analyzed and interpreted utilizing the following statistical tools: weighted means and chi-square test. FINDINGS 1. The demographic profile of the school principals shows that: majority belong to the range from 50-59 years; many are female; some hold either doctorate or master's degree; with 5 to 24 years in service and mostly are married. 2. The data gathered revealed that all the thirteen principals involved in the study are practicing democratic leadership style. 3. The perceived competencies of the elementary and high school principals showed that 53.85 percent considered competencies in authority and 30.77 percent in delegation of authority: and 15.38 percent marked of responsibility. 4. In the elementary school 9.85 percent got outstanding rating and 90.16 percent got very satisfactory rating. In the high school nobody got outstanding rating in competencies, 93.97 percent got very satisfactory and 6.03 percent got satisfactory rating. The elementary school teacher-respondents got better competency rating than their counterpart in the high school. 5. At 5% level of significance, there is no significant relationship between the perceived leadership style of principals and perceived competencies of teachers it signifies that the null hypothesis is accepted. 6. Since the obtained value of chi-square test is less than the required value, the obtained value is not significant at 5% level of significance. This means there is no significant relationship between perceived competencies of principals and perceived competencies of teachers and therefore the null hypothesis is accepted. CONCLUSIONS In the light of the findings, the following conclusions were drawn: 1. The perceived leadership style of principals in this study is democratic. Under the democratic leadership style, leaders share power and authority with the members of the group. They decentralize decision-making so members are able to participate. Members are consulted and are encouraged expressing their positions and making recommendations. It permits the development of followers and helps them realize their own potential. In this kind of leadership, implementation could be faster because leaders and followers make decisions together and they can jointly determine courses of action. The general trend today is toward wider used of participatory management practice because they are consistent with the supportive and collegial models of modern organization. 2. The perceived competencies of the elementary and high school principals rely on authority in the performance of their functions in school administration and supervision and on the related duties as school managers, followed by delegation of authority and finally by responsibility. 3. The perceived competencies of the teachers based on the performance rating reveals that elementary school- teacher-respondents got better competency rating than the high school teacher-respondents. This implies that elementary school teacher-respondents are more competent than high school teachers in this particular study. 4. The following null hypotheses were accepted at the .05 level of significance: 4.1 There is no significant relationship between the perceived leadership style of principals and perceived competencies of teachers. 4.2 There is no significant relationship between perceived competencies of principals and perceived competencies of teachers. 5. The perceived competencies of the elementary and high school principals showed that 53.85 percent considered competencies in authority and 30.77 percent in delegation of authority; and 15.38 percent marked of responsibility. In the elementary school 9.85 percent got outstanding rating and 90.16 percent got very satisfactory rating. In the high school nobody got outstanding rating in competencies, 93.97 percent got very satisfactory and 6.03 percent got satisfactory rating. The elementary school teacher-respondents got better competency ratings than their counterpart in the high school. 6. At 5% level of significance, there is no significant relationship between the perceived leadership style of principals and perceived competencies of teachers it signifies that the null hypothesis is accepted. 7. Since the obtained value of chi-square test is less than the required value, the obtained value is not significant at 5% level of significance. This means there is no significant relationship between the perceived competencies of principals and perceived competencies of teachers and therefore the null hypothesis is accepted. RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the findings and conclusions of the study, the following recommendations are set forth: 1. To improve the performance of teachers, the use of democratic leadership style, which is found to be effective in enhancing the competencies of teachers, is recommended. 2. School principals need to attempt to discover both their strengths/ weaknesses, which could become effective basis of improving their competencies. 3. School principals should be given the opportunity to attend regional and national in-service training for them to cope up with administrative changes. 4. School principals must equip themselves with management capabilities and leadership style that would be responsive to the changing need of time. 5. Similar studies maybe conducted in other school divisions to compare results with this study.

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