LEADERSHIP STYLES OF SCHOOL HEADS AND OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KP, PAKISTAN

The research paper highlights effect of leadership styles of school heads on overall school performance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. In this drive, to determine connection between leadership styles & school performance, study used both qualitative & quantitative approaches. Two samples—N1 276—consisting of school heads from 276 schools and (N2 552), consisting of 552 senior school teachers participated in study using the proportionate stratified random sampling. Study explored and analyzed the relationship between the two variables, namely leadership styles of school heads and school performance. The study found that democratic, transformational, transactional and charismatic leadership styles have a positive impact on school performance with calculated values of Pearson Correlation of 0.618, 0.546, 0.422 and 0.412; while autocratic and laissez fair leadership styles were found to have negative impacts on the school performance having negative coefficients of -0.478 and -0.622. The study suggests that school heads should be educated, that training and skills can be provided to all secondary school heads, that the seminars can be regularly organised by parent department for school heads to improve capacity, and that parent Teacher Councils can be strengthened and updated to ensure parental participation in school activities.