Assessment of Servant Leadership, Adversity Quotient, Challenges Encountered, and Coping Mechanisms of United Methodist School Administrators for a Professional Development Plan

Abstract

This descriptive-correlational study assessed servant leadership behavior, adversity quotient, challenges encountered, and coping mechanisms among school administrators in the South Nueva Ecija Philippines Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church as the basis for a professional development plan. Total enumeration was used to include 82 administrators from 10 United Methodist schools. Data were gathered through survey instruments measuring five dimensions of servant leadership, four dimensions of adversity quotient, six areas of challenges encountered, and three coping mechanisms. Descriptive statistics and Pearson product-moment correlation were used for analysis. Results showed that servant leadership behavior was generally evident (overall weighted mean = 3.95), with organizational stewardship receiving the highest rating (M = 4.19). Administrators demonstrated moderate to favorable adversity responses, particularly in endurance (M = 4.07), and frequently used problem-focused (M = 4.16) and emotion-focused coping (M = 3.93), while avoidant coping was used sometimes (M = 3.39). Significant relationships were found between servant leadership and challenges encountered, servant leadership and coping mechanisms, adversity quotient and challenges encountered, adversity quotient and coping mechanisms, and challenges encountered and coping mechanisms. The findings indicate that servant-oriented leadership, resilience, and constructive coping operate together in supporting school administrators as they address organizational, instructional, technological, and community-related demands. A professional development plan focusing on servant leadership, adversity management, communication, technology integration, and healthier coping strategies is recommended.