INFLUENCE OF HEAD TEACHERS’ LEADERSHIP STYLES ON STUDENTS’ DISCIPLINE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BUGWERI SUB-COUNTY, BUGWERI COUNTY, BUGWERI DISTRICT

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of head teachers’leadership styles on

students’ discipline in Bugweri Sub-County, Bugweri County, Bugweri district. Specifically, the

study sought to establish the influence ofautocratic leadership style, democratic leadership style,

laissez-faire leadership style, transactional leadership style and transformational leadership

style on students’ discipline. This study was anchored on the Contingency Theory ofLeadership,

developed by Fiedler (2004) cited in (Cole, 2002). The study used descriptive survey design to

explore the influence of head teachers’ leadership styles on students’ discipline. Mugenda and

Mugenda (2003) sampling procedure was used to determine the sample size. Sample size of 10%

was utilized in obtaining 3 schools with 33 teachers that were used for piloting study. For

students, however, five (5) were purposively pickedfrom each of the 3 schools taking part in the

piloting study. For the main study, 30% of the total population was used to select 9 head

teachers and 99 teachers. For students, however, purposive sampling technique was applied to

select 10 students from each sampled school. Hence, from the 9 schools, 90 students took part in

the main study. Head teachers’ questionnaires, teachers’ questionnaires, students

questionnaires and question guided interviews for head teachers were used to collect data. The

study yielded data that required both qualitative and quantitative analysis. From the findings of

the study, it was established that the common discipline problems experienced in school are

examination cheating (37%), drug abuse (17%) and absenteeism (25%). Findings also indicate

that democratic leadership style has a great influence on students’ discipline in public secondary

schools. Teachers indicated that there is need for head teachers to use democratic leadership

(62.5%) besides transformational (50%) where discipline should be positive and constructive. 1/

was also established that autocratic leadership was exercised in schools by the head teachers.

From the results obtained a majority of the teachers disagree (75.0%) that the autocratic

leadership style is necessary in order to enable people to work as expected.

Besides, other head teacher ‘s exercised laissez-faire leadership where they always permitted

members to take it easy in their work (77.8%). The study recommends that head teachers and

teachers should adopt democratic leadership style that is was liked by a majority. Dictatorship

can affect students’ discipline and has always led to unrests in schools. It was recommended that

a replica ofthis study to be conducted in other sub-counties in Uganda.