School Heads’ Leadership Styles on Teachers’ Competence in Marabut District, Division of Samar

AUTHOR(S)

GARRY ANTHONY A. GABUTAN JITKA TISHA A. JADMAN ROXAN A. TIMOSA

ABSTRACT

— This study investigated the impact of school heads’ leadership styles on teachers’ competence in Marabut District, Samar, Philippines. The research aimed to understand the relationship between various leadership styles (transformational, transactional, laissez-faire, autocratic, democratic, and charismatic) and teachers’ competence across several domains: content knowledge and pedagogy, learning environment, diversity of learners, curriculum and planning, assessment and reporting, community linkages, and personal and professional development. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed, utilizing a three-part questionnaire distributed to 15 school heads and 180 teachers selected through stratified random sampling. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies, percentages) and inferential statistics (ANOVA, MANOVA, Pearson r correlation, linear regression). The findings revealed that school heads in Marabut District demonstrated a “Very Good” level of proficiency across all six leadership styles examined, with laissez-faire leadership scoring slightly higher than others. Teachers’ competence was consistently rated as “Competent” across all domains, indicating a generally high level of professional capability. A significant positive correlation was found between transformational and democratic leadership styles and teachers’ competence, suggesting that empowering and collaborative leadership approaches are most effective in enhancing teacher performance. Conversely, laissez-faire and autocratic styles showed weaker correlations. Furthermore, teachers’ profiles (age, educational attainment, years of service, and training attended) significantly influenced both their competence and the leadership styles of their school heads. Sex and civil status, however, did not significantly impact either variable. The study concludes that effective school leadership, particularly transformational and democratic styles, is crucial for fostering teacher competence and improving educational outcomes. The strong positive correlation between these leadership styles and teachers’ competence highlights the importance of empowering and collaborative leadership approaches in creating a supportive and productive learning environment. The study recommends the development of capability-building programs focused on enhancing school heads’ understanding and application of transformational and democratic leadership styles, as well as providing ongoing professional development opportunities for teachers. These interventions are expected to further improve teacher competence and, ultimately, the quality of education in Marabut District. Further research could explore the mediating role of school context and resources on the relationship between leadership styles and teacher competence. Keywords — School Heads’ Leadership Styles, Teachers’ Competence, Transformational Leadership, Democratic Leadership, Laissez-faire Leadership, Autocratic Leadership, Charismatic Leadership, Teacher Performance, MANOVA, Pearson r Correlation