2023/11/06 by Keno, Asfaw
#Leadership practice #school climate #school effectiveness
paper · doi:10.20372/star.v9i4.04
The principal's transformational leadership practice helps to build a positive school climate, which in turn promotes school effectiveness. To examine relationships between principals' leadership practice, school climate, and school effectiveness at Dukem Town, the two available middle-level public primary schools were examined using a correlation design. Using the availability sampling technique, all 65 teachers from both schools were included. Three standardised questionnaires, interviews, and document reviews were used to collect data. The questionnaires were the leadership practice inventory, the organisational climate description questionnaire (OCDQ-RM), and the school effectiveness index. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20, and the results showed that both schools’ effectiveness was at a high level. A moderate level of leadership practice was in practice, indicating the existence of transformational leadership practice in primary schools. A low standardised score of principals’ and teachers’ openness characterises both schools, indicating that a closed school climate prevails in public primary schools. Further, a strong positive correlation existed between principals’ leadership practices and school climate. A positive, weak correlation existed between school climate and school effectiveness. The result of multiple linear regression (R2 =.73, F (52, 11) = 13.25; p =.000) indicated that the dimensions of leadership practice and school climate are effective predictors of school effectiveness, contributing 73.10 percent of the variation. Out of the 11 independent variables, four showed no significant contribution, whereas seven were the strongest predictors. The best predictor of school effectiveness was principals’ challenging the process (t(11) =3.802; beta =.967; p =.000), followed by restrictive (restrictive t = 2.486; beta =.732; p =.016) and modelling the way (t(11) =8.00; beta =.694; p .000). To raise schools’ effectiveness, train principals to frequently apply the five exemplary leadership practices; reduce the use of negative behaviours such as restrictiveness;and build a positive climate.