Heads of Schools’ Leadership Skills on School Effectiveness in Public Secondary Schools in Rorya District, Mara Region-Tanzania
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33687/ijef.003.02.00173Keywords:
Leadership skills, school heads, school effectiveness, transformational leadershipAbstract
This study sought to examine the influence of heads of schools’ leadership skills on school effectiveness in public secondary schools in Rorya District, Mara Region, Tanzania. One specific objective was adopted for the study. The study was guided by Transformational Leadership Theory, which emphasizes vision creation, motivation, collaboration, empowerment, and support for improved organizational performance. A mixed-methods approach using an explanatory research design was employed. The study involved 112 respondents, including 96 teachers, five heads of schools, five Ward Education Officers, and one District Education Officer. Data were collected through questionnaires Tagged HEAD OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP SKILL(HSLSQ) and SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS(SEQ) as well as semi-structured interviews .The instrument were validated by expert in measurement and evaluation as well as expert in educational foundations. The reliability of the instrument were obtained through Cronbach alpha ranging from 0.75. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics through SPSS version w26, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The findings showed that respondents understood leadership skills as involving teamwork, communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and guidance. Most respondents 88.5% confirmed that heads of schools apply various leadership skills, with communication, decision-making, and supervision being the most common. Democratic leadership, teacher involvement, instructional guidance, and delegation were found to enhance school effectiveness, although challenges such as limited collaboration, centralized decision-making, and laissez-faire practices affected accountability and supervision. The study concludes that heads of schools’ leadership skills significantly influence school effectiveness through improved management practices, teacher performance, and achievement of educational goals. The study recommends strengthening continuous professional development programmes for school heads, focusing on collaborative leadership, strategic planning, problem-solving, and instructional supervision to enhance school effectiveness in public secondary schools.
References
Ategwu P O,Kenn-Aklah F U, & Fanan A G. (2023) principal direct supervision and Teaching effectiveness in public secondary schools in Ikom education zone ,Cross River state ,Nigeria, African journal of studies in education 8(1)
Chacha, M., & Tangi, F. (2023). Challenges facing stakeholders' participation in improving teaching and learning process in public secondary schools in Rorya District, Mara, Tanzania. Journal of Humanities and Education Development, 5(6), 30–36.
Chafa, A., & Ncube, F. (2025). The impact of educational leadership on school change and innovation. Journal of Research Innovation and Implications in Education, 9(1), 1–10.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Dabesa, F., & Cheramlak, S. F. (2021). School leadership effectiveness and students’ academic achievement in secondary schools of Guraghe Zone SNNPR. Middle Eastern Journal of Research in Education and Social Sciences, 2(2), 1–26.
Fleming, J., & Zegwaard, K. E. (2018). Methodologies, methods and ethical considerations for conducting research in work-integrated learning. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, 19(3), 205–213.
Godwin, M., & Kabeta, R. M. (2019). The effects of head teachers’ leadership styles on the teacher performance in selected mission and public secondary schools of Muchinga Province-Zambia. International Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, 6(9), 158–165.
Ismail, M., Khatibi, A., & Azam, S. F. (2022). Impact of school culture on school effectiveness in government schools in Maldives. Participatory Educational Research, 9(2), 261–279.
Jerab, D. (2024). The impact of communication on organizational performance: A comprehensive analysis. SSRN Electronic Journal, 1–24.
John, U., & Mkulu, D. G. (2020). Influence of school heads’ leadership styles on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Nyamagana District, Mwanza, Tanzania. International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 5(6), 2327–2340.
Kayombo, V. B., Matete, R. E., & Suru, M. H. (2026). Transformational leadership and its influence on pupils’ academic achievement in primary schools in Tanzania. Educational Dimension, 14, 17–32.
Korejan, M. M., & Shahbazi, H. (2016). An analysis of transformational leadership theory. Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, 8(3), 452–461.
Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. (2025). Education Sector Development Plan 2025/26–2029/30. Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Mkulu D G & Ategwu P O. (2024), Innovative leadership as determinant of enhancing transformation of quality education in higher institution in mwanza Tanzania, Fou journal of educational research 5(2) 310-317
Muliati, A., Sihotang, W., & Octaviany, R. A. (2022). Effectiveness of school resources management in improving the quality of education. East Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 1(5), 901–916.
Mulongo, W. E., & Jemutai, E. M. (2024). Influence of school heads’ leadership styles on teacher performance in secondary schools in Lamu County, Kenya. International Academic Journal of Social Sciences and Education, 2(3), 364–379.
Murugi, R. M., & Mugwe, M. (2023). Stakeholders’ involvement and school leadership for effective implementation of strategic planning. Journal of Research Innovation and Implications in Education, 7(2), 277–286.
Mwanawima, E., Mhando, S. F., & Ambakisye, S. K. (2025). Enhancing community engagement in conflict resolution among secondary school students in Sumbawanga Municipal Council, Tanzania. African Journal of Empirical Research, 6(4), 965–975.
Mwita, M. S. (2025). Head of schools’ managerial skills towards effective school management in public secondary schools in Tanzania. International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, 6(8), 2225–2234.
Noureen, M., Shah, N. H., & Zamir, S. (2020). Effect of leadership styles of secondary school heads on school improvement. Global Social Sciences Review, 5(1), 519–527.
Nyaibuli, B., & Mwila, P. M. (2024). Impact of school head leadership style in enhancing teachers’ work performance in public secondary schools: A case of Ilala City, Tanzania. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 8(3s), 4931–4937.
Owaduge, S. B. (2024). Influence of school leadership on teacher effectiveness in public secondary schools in Akure North, Ondo State [Seminar]. National Open University of Nigeria.
Saga, J. G. (2025). A structural model on school management effectiveness. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(3), 3303–3313.
Shrestha, M. (2020). Transformational leadership and its dimensions: Contributions in organizational change among schools. BSSS Journal of Management, 11(1), 112–130.
Steinmann, B., Klug, H. J., & Maier, G. W. (2018). The path is the goal: How transformational leaders enhance followers’ job attitudes and proactive behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2338.
Suryadi, Y., Dewi, N. L. Y., Trisnawati, T., & Al-Amin, A. A. (2024). The impact of transformational leadership on organizational performance and employee motivation. Transforma Jurnal Manajemen, 2(2), 108–119.
Toikka, T., & Tarnanen, M. (2025). School development through team learning: Exploring the potential of teams in a learning community. The Learning Organization, 32(7), 1365–1394.
Wanjuan, Z., & Muyunda, G. (2023). School leadership in Zambia: A systematic literature review. Education & Youth Research, 3(2), 87–101.
Yokota, H. (2024). School leadership development practices in Japan. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 27(6), 1365–1394.
Zakaria, I. B., Nor, M. Y. B. M., Alias, B. S. B., & Hamid, A. H. (2021). The influence of principals’ strategic leadership on students’ outcome. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(2), 407–417.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Augostino Pius, Ategwu Patrick Ogar, Demetria Mkulu (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
