Leadership Styles And Pupils Academic Performance In Primary Schools
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The term leader denotes types of behaviour that has a group as its references. Every group of people in any human endeavour with a specific goal to achieve has some person(s) as its head who is skilled in the art of leadership. Many leadership theories have revealed that there are at least two fundamental and distinct categories of leadership behaviours, one is concerned with people and inter personal relations, and the other is concerned with production and tasks achievement including dimensions of leadership from different leadership styles.
Leadership is defined as the process of influencing others to facilitate the attainment of organizational relevant goal (ChanfungLan, 2009). Leadership also is the process which includes influencing the task objectives with strategies to achieve the goal, influencing the group maintenance and also to influence the culture of organization to understand and agree about what is necessary to be done what to do and the process in facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives. According to Peter (2007) leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of other individuals to achieve a common goal. These definitions suggest several key components to the phenomenon of leadership. Some of the components are:-
a.) Leadership is a process
b.) Leadership involves influencing others.
c.) Leadership happens within the concept of a group.
d.) Leadership involves goal attainment
e.) Goal are shared in leaders and their followers.
Leadership Styles And Pupils Academic Performance In Primary Schools
Hence, leadership is the process of influencing, others to follow instruction to achieve the goal. Goal will be brought together in a group of leaders and followers, that means every act done by leaders affect followers which will also affect pupils academic performance.
To determine leadership as an act shows that leadership is not in character with just a few, certain people are blessed with it at birth. Leadership is a transactional event that occurs between leaders and their followers. Viewing leader as a process means that leaders influence and are influenced by their followers either positively or negatively. It emphasizes that leadership is two-way. Which are the interactive event between leaders and followers and also show a linear way in which the leader only affects the followers.
Determination of leadership as a process that makes it available to everyone, on just a select few are born with it more importantly. It means that leadership is not limited to only the people in the group that have a formal position of authority.
However, pupil’s academic attainment is an important parameter in measuring success in pupils. Observation and Reports have shown that success or high academic performance has become a herculean task to accomplish by pupils in recent times. Poor academic performance of pupils has been of great concern to educationists, guidance and counselors in particular. Despite all, guidance programmes and counseling strategies mounted in schools to improve the academic performances but yet poor performance were recorded yearly. It becomes necessary to find out whether leadership styles influence or contribute to pupils academic performance of primary school in Oruk Anam Local Government Area.
Leadership Styles And Pupils Academic Performance In Primary Schools
1.2 Statement of the problem.
Over the years, mantle of school leadership has been falling on people who have little or no knowledge of the different leadership approaches and cannot influence teachers for leadership style had or morale. They do not know that their leadership style had serious bearing on the teacher’s attitude to work. Leadership styles have both negative and positive influence on the teacher’s motivation.
Incent time most of the primary schools are led by inexperienced head teachers who cannot exhibit good leadership styles that will bring out productivity and effectiveness. This occurred as result of proliferation which gave use to a situation where head teachers were appointed seeming on “man-know man basis”.
Additionally, some primary schools nowadays have been suffering in the hand of their head teacher’s whose administration is a matter of trial and error and so lead as they like. Consequently, they run the schools they head. There are strong indications that teacher’s leadership styles can have a bearing on teacher’s effectiveness in teaching either positively or negatively. It is on this promise that this study is conducted to investigate leadership styles and pupils academic performance I n primary schools in Oruk Anam Local Government Area.
1.3 Purpose of the study
The main purpose of this study is to examine leadership style and pupils academic performance in primary school in Oruk Anam local government area. Specifically this study intended to;
1.) Examine the influence of autocratic leadership styles on pupils academic performance in Primary Schools.
2.) Assess the influence of democratic leadership styles on pupils academic performance in Primary schools.
3.) Find out whether laissez-faire leadership styles have influence on pupils academic performance in primary schools.
1.4 Significance of the study
- Through this study teachers will change attitude toward their pupils.
- The administration in schools will take cognizance of how to enhance pupils with high performance in primary schools.
iii. The government should improve the working condition of teachers so that they can be motivated for and satisfied with the job.
- This study will serve as an index for further research work.
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were postulated namely;
- There is no significant relationship between autocratic leadership styles and pupils academic performance in primary schools.
- There is no significant relationship between democratic leadership styles and pupils academic performance in primary schools.
- There is no significant relationship between Laissez-faire leadership styles and pupils academic performance.