Relationship between Principals’ Leadership and Teachers’ Motivation

This study examined the relationship between the principals’ leadership and teachers’ motivation at selected basic education high schools in Myingyan Township. All senior, junior, and primary school teachers (N=319) from the selected basic education high schools in Myingyan participated in the study. Data for this quantitative study were collected using Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Form 5X which classified the leadership styles of principals as “Transformational Leadership”, “Transactional Leadership” and “Laissez-faire Leadership”. In addition, Teachers’ Self-Motivation Survey was used to assess the following factors of teachers’ motivation: “Motivation by Current Principal”, “Motivation by Transformational Principal”, “Motivation by Transactional Principal” and “Motivation by Laissez-faire Principal”. Descriptive statistics, one way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson product moment correlations were used in analyzing data. The results of this study indicated that teachers from selected high schools perceived that their principals mostly practiced transformational leadership( ̅ =4.01). And they perceived that they were highly motivated by transformational principal( ̅ =4.26).Then, there were positive relationships between principals’ leadership and teachers’ motivation. To be exact, it was found that transformational leadership was positively and moderately related to teachers’ motivation (r=.478, p=0.01). And a positively and low correlation was found between transactional leadership and teachers’ motivation (r=.367, p=0.01) and between laissez-faire leadership and teachers’ motivation (r=-.239, p=0.01). Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that principals’ leadership is important for teachers’ motivation in selected high schools