Effects of leadership styles on job satisfaction of teachers in selected international schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Headteachers employ a range of leadership styles that directly or indirectly affect the job satisfaction of the teachers. However, there is a debate among scholars about which leadership style is the most effective for job satisfaction. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the effects of leadership styles on the job satisfaction of teachers in selected international schools in Nairobi County, Kenya. The research objectives were to examine the effects of democratic leadership style; to assess the effects of autocratic leadership style; to determine the effects of laissez-faire leadership and to establish the effects of transformational leadership style on the job satisfaction of teachers in selected international schools in Nairobi County. Democratic theory, autocratic theory, laissezfaire economics theory, and transformational leadership theory drove the research. The descriptive survey research design was used in this study. In Nairobi County, the study targeted 32 head teachers and 2340 teachers from 32 International schools. The study included 9 head teachers and 330 teachers who were chosen using purposive sampling. Data was acquired through interviews with head teachers and questionnaires from teachers. Pilot testing was carried out in one neighboring international school in Kiambu County to determine the reliability and validity of research tools. The university supervisors scrutinised the content and conducted pilot testing to ensure its authenticity. The data were analysed using both inferential and descriptive statistics. Percentages, frequencies, standard deviations, and means were employed as descriptive statistics, while Pearson’s Correlation Analysis was utilised to evaluate the four hypotheses. For interpretation, qualitative data was organised into broad topics. However, to preserve the power of the participants’ spoken words, some qualitative data were used verbatim. According to the findings of the study, leaders in international schools used all four types of leadership depending on the situation. However, each leadership style had a varied impact on teachers’ job satisfaction. Teachers’ job satisfaction was unaffected by autocratic leadership. Democratic leadership, as well as transformational leadership, had a favorable substantial effect on job satisfaction. Laissez-faire was rarely used, but where it was, it had a strong beneficial impact on job satisfaction. According to the findings, 60% of the head teachers used transformational leadership styles as well as Laissez-faire and autocratic leadership styles, against 83% who applied the democratic leadership style. The study’s principal recommendation is that the head teachers should be trained in the various leadership styles and, when appropriate, to guarantee that teachers are motivated and content with their work, and most importantly, to adopt and maintain transformational leadership in their schools. Headteachers would benefit from the study since it will provide valuable input on the effects of leadership style on the job satisfaction of teachers at international schools in Nairobi County.