Abstract:
Transformational leadership in schools has been found to improve students' learning
and achievement by positively impacting the school learning environment such as
teachers' motivations, satisfaction and extra effort as literature widely reports. This
research was initiated to examine the levels of the principals' transformational
leadership, its relationships with teachers' motivation, job satisfaction and extra effort
plus students' achievements in the 2nd cycle primary schools within the city of Gondar.
From the 34 primary schools, 18 schools were selected as a sample Of study using
randemsampling meted . From each sample school, 5 senior teachers were selected,
using stratified random sampling. This make up the sample size to be 90 teachers. Data
was collected with 4 scales; Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ); the
Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS); a Work Satisfaction Scale and an Extra Effort
Scale. In addition, the national exams from 8th grade students were averaged from each
school. Data was analysed using descriptive, correlation and inferential statistical
tools. The findings showed that directors displayed too little 'transformational
leadership behaviours whine their transactional leadership scores are compared with
international benchmarks. Their laissez faire and passive leadership scores were found
to be significantly higher than the benchmark averages. Teachers were also found to
have too little intrinsic and too much extrinsic sides of motivational work.Their
amotivated tendencies were also unexpectedly higher. While their satisfactions with
their work were too low, they reported teachers' extra efforts were much higher than
expected. The results also have shown that there were no marked differences among the
teachers' motivational types, satisfaction and extra efforts or among students'
achievement levels by differences in the principals' transformational- (and
transactional) leadership levels. The low level of the directors' transformational
leadership behaviours and teachers being more dissatisfied and less internally
motivated to work were questioned and discussed as either due to the specific cultural
context of the nation, or the little trainings the directors received which might have
resulted in poor teacher outcomes. It was concluded that this picture is an alarming
scenario that may adversely affect the current SIP and decision makers and
stakeholders are advised to address the problem. A number of questions were also
raised for future researchers.
