The Influence of School Leadership Styles on Teachers’ Behavioral Change in Primary Schools: A Case of Temeke Municipality.

Edward, Evetha Karani (2025) The Influence of School Leadership Styles on Teachers’ Behavioral Change in Primary Schools: A Case of Temeke Municipality. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

This study examined the influence of school leadership styles on teachers' behavioural change in public primary schools in Temeke Municipality, Tanzania. The study aimed to identify leadership styles used by school heads, explore teachers' perceptions of these styles, and examine the challenges experienced in managing teacher behaviour using specific leadership styles. The research was based on behavioural theory, which explains how leadership styles impact teacher motivation, commitment, and job satisfaction. The study adopted an interpretivist paradigm with a qualitative approach, utilising a multiple case study design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and document reviews from 22 participants, including school heads, teachers, academic teachers, the district education officer, and the ward education officer. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings showed that democratic leadership was the most commonly used style among school heads, followed by transformational, laissez-faire, and autocratic leadership. Teachers viewed these styles both positively and negatively: transformational leadership was motivating but led to dependency, laissez-faire encouraged autonomy but caused inefficiency, autocratic leadership made quick decisions but lowered morale, and democratic leadership promoted participation but resulted in delays and conflicts. Keywords: Leadership styles, teachers’ behavior, democratic leadership, transformational leadership, laissez-faire leadership, autocratic leadership.

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