Influence of Principals Leadership Styles on Secondary School Teachers Job Performance in Sokoto Metropolis

ABSTRACT This study investigated influence of principals' leadership styles on secondary school teachers' performance in the Sokoto metropolis. The research employed a descriptive survey design, utilizing a sample of 120 teachers selected through simple random sampling from a population of 2,078 secondary school teachers. Data was collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire with a reliability index of 0.80 and 0.75 at test-retest intervals of 2 weeks. The findings revealed that teachers reported high levels of job performance across various aspects of their roles, with agreement levels consistently exceeding 85%. The study identified a strong presence of democratic leadership practices, with over 80% of teachers reporting involvement in decision-making processes and open communication. Conversely, there was limited evidence of autocratic leadership (76.67% disagreement) or laissez-faire approaches (69.16-80% disagreement). The research demonstrated that democratic leadership style positively influenced teacher performance through promoting collaboration, open communication, and shared decision-making. The study concluded that democratic leadership practices contribute significantly to enhanced teacher performance and recommended maintaining and reinforcing this approach while developing structures that facilitate teacher involvement in decision-making processes. These findings have important implications for educational leadership practices and school administration in Nigeria, particularly in fostering environments conducive to optimal teacher performance.