School Heads` Leadership Styles and Management Practices in Public Secondary Schools
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19230174Keywords:
Leadership styles, school management, public secondary schools, transformational leadership, servant leadershipAbstract
This study examined the leadership styles and management practices of public secondary school heads in Mercedes District, Camarines Norte, and their relationship to school management effectiveness. Using a descriptive-correlational design, data were gathered from 253 teachers across eight schools through a validated questionnaire. Results showed that transformational leadership was the most consistently practiced style (mean = 3.60, always practiced), followed by democratic (3.20), servant (3.10), instructional (3.00), and authoritarian (3.00), all interpreted as practiced. In terms of effectiveness, transformational (3.34), democratic (3.25), and servant leadership (3.28) were rated highly effective, while instructional (3.23) and authoritarian (3.15) were moderately effective. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive relationships between leadership styles and management effectiveness, with servant leadership showing the strongest association (r = 0.649), followed by democratic (r = 0.634), instructional (r = 0.625), and transformational (r = 0.601). Authoritarian leadership, though significant, had a weaker correlation (r = 0.356). Based on these findings, the intervention program Project LEAD to SERVE (Leadership Enhancement and Development through Support, Empowering, and Respect and Value Education) was proposed to strengthen leadership awareness, self-assessment, and practical application of effective styles. The study concludes that transformational, democratic, and servant leadership are most effective in enhancing school management, emphasizing collaboration, empowerment, and support. Recommendations include sustaining transformational practices, adopting servant and democratic approaches to improve motivation and collaboration, implementing Project LEAD to SERVE for leadership training, and conducting future research on long-term impacts of leadership styles and intervention programs.
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