The Transformative Leadership Style of 21st Century Secondary School Principals and its Influence on School Environment

Abstract

The aim of this quantitative study was to find out the transformative leadership style of 21^st century secondary school principals and its influence on school environment. The research objectives were; To find out idealised influence (attributes and behaviours) with reference to transformational leadership in 21^st century secondary school principals; To investigate inspirational motivation related to transformational leadership of 21^st century school principals at secondary level; To assess individualized consideration related to transformational leadership of 21^st century school principals at secondary level ; To study the impact of transformational leadership style of 21^st century school principals on the environment of school. For the purpose of population 51 male principals and 49 female principals were selected randomly from secondary schools in District Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. To collect data, the research tool was adapted from MLQ 5X (Bass, 2000). The tool was validated and then was pilot-tested to ensure alignment with Pakistan's contextual background, and its dependability was computed. Cronbach's Alpha was considered to be satisfactory (0.83). In addition, data was gathered, and the mean and standard deviation were computed. The study's findings revealed that the 21^st century secondary school principals frequently used the components of Idealised Influence (attributes and behaviours), Inspirational Motivation and Individualised Consideration related to Transformational Leadership Style. Furthermore, the 21^st principals used transformational leadership style to motivate and inspire subordinates achieve their common objectives by developing shared goals and creative thinking which increased principals' performance as leaders. It was recommended the present investigation can be extended in various educational settings, engaging a greater number of school leaders, to acquire a better understanding of the benefits of transformative leadership.