Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to examining the leadership styles practiced, level of teachers’ work
performance and the relationship between principals’ leadership styles and teachers’ work
performance in Gozamenworeda secondary schools, East Gojjam Zone.To do these descriptive
survey design with quantitative research method approach was employed. To achieve the purpose
three-research questions were raised. The questions address leadership style currently practiced,
level of teachers’ work performance and the relationship between principals’ leadership style and
teachers’ work performance. To answer these research questions a sample of 185(100%) secondary
school teachers, principals, vice principals and cluster supervisor of the sample schools were
included in the sample population using comprehensive sampling method. The multifactor
Leadership Style Questionnaire (MLQ) and the Teachers' job Performance Questionnaire (TJPQ)
are standardized questionnaires adapted from the works of Bass (1990) and K. Roul (2010) were
taken and used to collect data. The collected data were analyzed using frequency, percentages,
mean, standard deviation and correlation. It was found that the transactional leadership style was
the most commonly used leadership style among principals of secondary schools in
Gozamenworeda. Teachers’ work performance was also found to be at a moderate level in the
schools. Teachers’ work performance was found to be better in schools where principals use
transformational leadership than in schools having principals using transactional or laissez-faire
leadership styles. Result of the correlation analysis reveals that inspirational motivation is
negatively and significantly correlated with classroom organization and management and there is a
positive and significant correlation between laissez-faire styles and communication skills. Hence, it
is possible to conclude that teachers’ work performance improves as the leadership style of
principals tends to transformational leadership style. As a result, it recommended that school
principals’ leadership style should be more of transformational, than transactional and laissez-fair
in order to enhance teachers’ work performance.
