PRINCIPALS’ MANAGERIAL COMPETENCIES AS PREDICTORS OF TEACHERS’ JOB COMMITMENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study investigated principals’ managerial competencies as predictors of teachers’ job commitment in secondary schools in Anambra State. Three research questions guided the study and three null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The predictive correlational research design was adopted for the study. All 275 Principals of public secondary schools in Anambra State were used for the study. Two questionnaires titled Principals’ Managerial Competency Questionnaire (PMCQ) and Teachers’ Job Commitment Questionnaire (TJCQ) were used to collect data for the study. The instruments were validated by two experts from the Department of Educational Management and Policy and one expert from the Department of Educational Foundation (Measurement and Evaluation) all in the Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University. Internal consistency of the instruments was determined using Cronbach’s Alpha method and coefficients of 0.81, 0.74 and 0.76, were obtained for PMCQ with overall reliability coefficient of 0.77. The reliability coefficient of TJCQ was 0.81. Data were analyzed using linear and multiple regression analyses. P-value was used to determine the significance of prediction at 0.05 significant level. The findings revealed that principals’ supervisory, decision making and personnel management competency strongly and significantly predict teachers’ job commitment in secondary schools in Anambra state. Based on the findings, the researchers recommended among others that Ministry of Education and Post Primary Schools Service Commission should organize regular workshops, seminars, and professional development programmes for principals on instructional supervision, personnel management and participatory decision-making to enhance their managerial competencies and improve teachers’ job commitment, principals should involve teachers in decision-making processes, maintain cordial interpersonal relationships, recognize teachers’ efforts, and ensure fairness in school administration. Such democratic and supportive leadership practices will promote teachers’ morale, cooperation, and commitment to duty.