Navigating Turbulent Times: Teachers' Perspectives on School Principal Leadership Styles

Abstract

This study focuses on Lebanon, a nation facing multifaceted challenges. It aims to to understand better how elementary and middle school teachers perceive their school principals' leadership styles during times of crisis. The research investigates how these leadership styles impact school environments, teacher perspectives, and crisis readiness. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, exploring teachers' views on leadership effectiveness and the key characteristics that influence leadership during crises. The study was conducted in two schools, and it aimed to provide valuable insights for education policymakers, institutions, and leaders navigating turbulent contexts. It underscored the essential role of effective school leadership in fostering resilience, adaptability, and positive learning environments. The study revealed that elementary and middle school teachers perceived their principals' transformational leadership characteristics differently across schools, with School 1 and School 2 teachers attributing higher levels of transformational leadership characteristics to their principals compared to the norm. Equally, School 2 teachers perceived their principals to exhibit transactional leadership characteristics significantly different from the norm, showing disparities in leadership styles between the two schools. Moreover, the study revealed that teachers in School 1 and School 2 have different perceptions of their principals' crisis management. While they generally considered their principals' preparedness to be acceptable, they also rated their transactional and transformational leadership in times of crisis qualities lower than the norm. For future studies, it’s important to increase the range of schools included, encompassing a diverse range of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds in Lebanon. This would expand our understanding of how diverse environments influence leadership perceptions and effectiveness.