Influence of head teacher’s transformational leadership style on teachers’ job commitment in public primary schools in Matinyani sub county, Kitui County, Kenya.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of head teacher’s transformational leadership style on teachers’ job commitment in public primary schools in Matinyani Sub County, Kenya. Four objectives guided the study. The objectives sought to establish the influence of inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration and idealized influence on teachers’ job commitment in public primary schools in Matinyani Sub County, Kenya. The study was carried out using descriptive survey design. The sample was 25 head teachers and 169 teachers. Multi-Factor Leadership Questionnaire was used to collect data. Pearson product correlation coefficient was used to analyse the influence of the various aspects of transformative leadership style on teachers’ commitment. Findings revealed that there was a significant and positive relationship between inspirational motivation and teachers’ job commitment (r = .774, N = 160). Findings also revealed that there was a significant and positive relationship between intellectual stimulation and teachers’ commitment (r = .712, N = 160). It was also revealed that there was a significant and positive relationship between individualized consideration and teachers’ job commitment (r = .711, N = 160). Findings on the influence of idealized influence on teachers’ job commitment showed that there was a significant and positive relationship between idealized influence and teachers’ job commitment (r = .765, N = 160). Based on the findings, the study concluded that inspirational motivation increased teachers’ job commitment, intellectual stimulation had strong and positive relationship with teachers’ job commitment, and also head teachers use of idealized influence raised teachers’ job commitment. It was also concluded that idealized influence had a positive influence on job commitment. Based on the findings of the study it was recommended that head teachers should increase the practice of inspirational motivation since it influenced teachers’ job commitment, and also the practice of intellectual stimulation which was found to have a strong and positive relationship with teachers’ job commitment, as well as individualized consideration among teachers so as to increase job commitment and lastly head teachers should increase idealized influence which is a key to increasing teachers’ job commitment. The study suggested that a comparable study in public primary schools should be carried out in other parts of the county to find out whether the findings can be generalized to the entire county. Secondly, since the study focused on the aspects of transformative leadership style, a study should be conducted to establish how other leadership styles influence on teachers job commitment.