Head Teachers Leadership Styles and Learners Performance in Primary Schools in Gulu District, Uganda

Abstract

This study was carried to find out the contribution of head teachers’ leadership styles in the learners’ performance and possibly suggest positive ways of improving the performance. The study examined the contributions of autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire leadership styles head teachers are using in the schools in Gulu District. The study used a cross sectional design to study and secure the depth of the data. Two approaches were used, quantitative and qualitative concurrently. Numbers of theories were cited and early researchers’ documentations visited. Observation, interview guides documentary reviews and questionnaire were some of the methods used. The collected data was coded, interpreted and analysed using the SPSS computer programme. The opinions and the findings indicated that the head teachers’ leadership styles were major contributors of performance in schools among learners. The result of the study advised that head teachers need to practice all the three styles of leadership namely autocratic, democratic, and laissez-fair and the finding advice that they should avoid dwelling on one style of leadership alone. It was also found that an institution would run best with support from other players which have been found in the democratic leadership style mostly. The recommendations made were to have more findings on the poor performance of learners .Autocratic leadership style be limitedly practise in the schools since the outcome may be dangerous to the learners. Head teachers should share with the subordinate’s ideas in order to improve learners’ performance. The communities should fully participate in school activities in order to improve performance and head teachers should work together and closely with the stakeholders in the community to improve performance.