Towards a model of principals\u27 leadership and interpersonal behaviors and teachers\u27 classroom interpersonal behaviors in selected top performing secondary schools

The study sought to develop a model of principals’ leadership and interpersonal behaviors and teachers’ classroom interpersonal behaviors for secondary schools, based on qualitative and quantitative data gathered from top performing schools in the National Capital Region. Twelve of these schools were covered in the study, namely: three Chinese, three government (non-science), three private, and three science secondary schools. These schools were purposively selected based on the Department of Educations ranking of secondary schools, relative to students performance in National Secondary Assessment Test (NSAT) during the four-year period 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1999. These schools consistently belonged to the top twenty percent of passers during that period. The study covered all the principals and a random sample of permanent teachers (n=224) in the participant schools. Data were gathered through interviews and the use of five standardized instruments. Basically, the study determined: (a) the principals\u27 leadership and interpersonal behaviors based on their self-reports and on their teachers\u27 assessment, and (b) the teachers\u27 self-reports of their classroom interpersonal behaviors. Leadership behavior analysis covered determining the principals\u27 primary leadership style, leadership style flexibility, and leadership style effectiveness. The study likewise investigated (a) whether there is a similarity between the principals\u27 and the teachers\u27 assessments of the leadership and intepersonal behaviors of the former, (b) whether the teachers\u27 interpersonal behaviors are similar with or different from their principals\u27 interpersonal behaviors, and (c) whether teachers\u27 observations of their principals\u27 interpersonal behaviors are similar with or different from what they preferred their principals to demonstrate in relating to them. Lastly, the study determined if type of school has a mediating effect on the principals\u27 leadership and interpersonal behaviors and on the teachers\u27 interpersonal behaviors. The results of the study showed that the teachers participants generally perceived their principals as Coaching and Supporting leaders who had average to high leadership style flexibility, but with low leadership style effectiveness. On the other hand, the principals as a whole assessed themselves as Supporting leaders with average to high leadership style flexibility and low leadership style effectiveness. The principal\u27s leadership style preferred by the teachers was Supporting. This is similar to the teachers\u27 perceptions of their principals\u27 leadership style. As regards interpersonal behavior, the teachers perceived their principals as exhibiting leadership interpersonal behaviors (i.e., noticing what is happening, organizing and giving orders, setting tasks, and determining procedures), which is the same as their preference of their principals\u27 interpersonal behavior. The principals also assessed themselves as exhibiting leadership behavior, in addition to the understanding behavior. Across schools, the respondent teachers perceived themselves as manifesting leadership behavior while teaching, characterized by being predisposed to leading, organizing and determining classroom rules and regulations. These results showed similarity between the teachers\u27 and the principals\u27 perceptions of the leadership behavior of the latter, particularly with respect to primary leadership style (Supporting), leadership style flexibility (average to high), and leadership style effectiveness (low). Interestingly, these findings revealed that the principals could switch from one leadership style to another, but their choice of leadership style, given a particular situation was often not the most appropriate. In spite of this finding, the principals\u27 primary leadership style (Supporting) as assessed by their respective teachers was the same as the teachers\u27 preference. The study further showed that type of school had no mediating effect on the principals\u27 leadership and interpersonal behaviors and on the teachers\u27 interpersonal behaviors, because of commonality of results across type of school. The results of the study point to the need for the principals in the participant schools to vary their leadership styles, based on the given situations. Specifically, aside from the Coaching and the Supporting leadership styles, which were found to be almost exclusively employed by the participant principals, they need to use the Directing or the Delegating style when required or demanded by a particular situation. It is recommended that the proposed model be validated, to test its applicability in other geographical areas and school settings. Moreover, replications of the study may be conducted among principals and teachers in other curriculum levels and school types to determine whether the model would apply or, vary based on those factors