Teacher Leadership Styles and Their Effects on Students’ Academic Performance in Selected Secondary Schools in Bamenda III Sub-Division.

Teacher Leadership Styles and their Effects on Students’ Academic Performance in Selected Secondary Schools in Bamenda III Sub-Division

Ndi Obed Tim

Department of Educational Management, Faculty of Education University of Yaounde

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.9010018

Received: 14 December 2024; Accepted: 23 December 2024; Published: 28 January 2025

ABSTRACT

This research seeks to study the contribution of Teacher Leadership Styles on Students’ Academic Performance in selected secondary Schools in Bamenda III Sub-Division, Mezam Division in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. It was carried out using four selected secondary schools in Bamenda III Sub-Division Mezam namely GBHS ATIELA, GBHS Bamenda, CAMSCI Nkwen and St. Paul’s College Nkwen. Three research objectives were formulated from which three research questions were generated to guide the study. The research objectives were as follows, (1)To examine the extent to which laissez faire leadership style of teachers has an influence on academic performance of students. (2)To investigate the impact of the autocratic leadership style of teachers on students’ academic performance. (3)To examine the influence of the coaching leadership style of teachers on students’ academic performance. The hypotheses were tested using simple linear regression. The study employed mixed  research design. A sample of 203 teachers was selected for this study using the simple random sampling technique.  Data were collected using a close-ended questionnaire structured on a four (4) – point Likert scale. The data collected were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS version 25.0. Findings revealed that; leadership styles are significantly related to the students’ academic achievement. The means were greater than 2.5 which is the cuff of mean. On autocratic leadership style 3.21, on Laissez-faire leadership style 2.80, on coaching leadership style2.85, Academic performance2.92.This indicates that the respondents all agreed that these different facets put together will improve academic performance. Also the qualitative analyses (thematic analyses) was done using NVIVO version 12 on focus group discussion data (96 students ), distributed in eight groups.

Keywords: Teacher Leadership Styles, Students and Academic Performance

INTRODUCTION

Teacher leadership is one of the significant factors in the implementation process of teaching and learning. Numerous research studies have stated that teacher leadership has prompted school development and enhanced student accomplishment as well as engagement in learning (Wan, Tse, Tsang, Lee, Wong, Wan and Wan, 2020).

Teacher leadership is a multifaceted concept, it is considered as a unifying feature in the process of educational enhancement by the use of active contribution. This may work on different levels, running from the administration of schools and the assistance of an expert learning society to enhance classroom education and learning, keeping in mind the end goal to help learners’ scholastic accomplishment (Tsai, 2013). Predominantly, teacher leadership has been defined by Xu & Patmor (2012) as “empowering teachers to take a more active role in school improvement.”

Teacher leadership is building knowledge in school students; for that reason, teachers’ leadership styles ought to be drilled in significant ways inside the circle of day-by-day classroom exercises (Sinha, Hanuscin, Rebello, Muslu, and Cheng, 2012). Furthermore, students have a closer relationship with teachers than principals. Several studies confirmed that principals’ leadership is considered the second most powerful factor that affects the achievements of the students’ learning, right after teachers’ influence (Grissom, Kalogrides& Loeb, 2015). Therefore, qualified teachers who have both pedagogical and leadership skills are critical for school success.

In some schools, there is a gap in teachers’ quality which has a direct effect on students’ outcomes (Valletta, Hoff &Lopus, 2014). The same concern has been noted in the United Arab Emirates, and there is great attention towards the students’ outcomes and the qualifications of school teachers. Therefore, the UAE has presented a new licensing system for all public and private school teachers which is called Teachers Licensing System (TLS). This is an initiative for the UAE Education Sector in the direction of guaranteeing the enhancement of the teaching standards besides the licensing program for all teachers across the UAE.

Several reports from the Ministry of Education have indicated that teachers’ leadership styles have a direct bearing on the overall effectiveness of the school because both the teacher and the student perform under the leadership of the school principal (UNESCO,2012). For example, a study in Malaysia by Wan and Jamal (2012) found that the role of the principal is important in determining the high academic performance of students in examinations. This is true for Cameroon because the school is under the leadership of the principal as well followed by other administrative staff than the teachers.

Administrative effectiveness of school environment play a key role in the performance of students in Cameroonian secondary school through adequate leadership and management (Egbe,2024).

Tarus (2009) and Musungu (2007) both agree that teachers’ leadership influences student’s performance. However, both studies did not establish to what extent the identified leadership style contributes to academic performance. This study undertook to establish the relationship of democratic, autocratic and laissez-faire leadership styles on academic performance and statistically indicate to what extent each contributes to performance.

Ololube(2013) observed that Laissez-faire leadership could be effective if the leader monitors what is being achieved and communicates this back to the team regularly, something that most leaders ignore. He adds that such leaders avoid responsibilities, do not take care of the needs of the followers, and do not provide feedback.

Teacher need to adapt leadership style in accordance with their curriculum goal, this will improve school and institutions performance in Cameroon (Ayoonwie,2022).

Leadership is a process through which an individual influences a group of people to attain common goals. In this study it has been established that supervisors and managers exhibit mostly the transformational leadership styles through which they assist employees to develop their strength, enable them to adapt to new work environment and even encourage them to be optimistic about the future by instilling in them new mindsets (Fransica,2020).

Within the Cameroonian context good leadership style could create sustainability in school academic performance at all evels (Fokam,2023)

Statement of the Problem

The relationship between teacher leadership style and students’ performance has been a subject of controversy by many researchers. The controversy is centred on whether or not the style of leadership of teachers influences the level of performance among students. A common observation in the school system shows that the style of leadership of a teacher could perhaps have a serious impact on student’s performance. Some people assume that the poor academic performance in many secondary schools in Bamenda has been impacted by teacher’s leadership styles. This assumption is because, after everything that has been done to ensure students go to school in Bamenda and have quality education, the performances of many students are still poor. Given that most schools in Bamenda are said to have good infrastructure with favourable atmospheric conditions for studies in Bamenda, students are expected to have the best results which is not the case. This has urged the researcher to carry on this investigation to know if the reason for the poor performance is true because of teacher leadership style so that recommendations can be made for better performance.

Research Questions

Main Question

1. To what extent do teachers’ leadership styles influence Students’ academic performance in selected secondary schools in Bamenda?

Specific Question

1. To what extent does teachers’ laissez-faire leadership style influence the academic performance of students?
2. To what extent does the autocratic leadership style of teachers on students’ academic performance?
3. What is the influence of the coaching leadership style of teachers on students’ academic performance?

LITERATURE REVIEW

Laissez-Faire Leadership Style

Laissez-faire is French expression meaning lead it alone, it is also known as handoff-style (Mtey, 2013). Laissez-faire leadership styles refer to the style which allows free contributions of ideas or opinions without interference by the leader (Wangithi, 2014). The leader takes a leave-the-employees-alone approach, allowing them to make decisions, decide what to do, and does not follow up (Mkhize, 2005).

In laissez faire leadership style, organizational members have almost complete freedom or authority, operate with a minimum of rules, and often serve as leader in making decisions that guide the organization. In laissez-faire leadership, the teacher believes that there should be no rules and regulations since everyone has a sense of responsibility (Pont, Nusche & Moorman, 2008).

Generally, laissez-faire leadership style works to the subordinate who real knows and understand their responsibilities and are committed because head of the school does not interfere in their activities, rather he or she prescribes what to be done and leave them to do on their own. The leaders using this style remain in the background and seldom express an opinion or work with organizational member. By being free to contribute ideas, opinion and acting on their own without interference of the head of the school, teachers will work hard towards the educational goals hence good academic performance

Leader with a Laisses-faire leadership style is a leader that has no clear goal and also gives no professional leadership to his group, he has no pattern of working, supervising and initiating notions. Laissez-faire leadership refers to the type that allows free contribution of ideas and opinions without interference by the leader. Obi (2003) argues that such style predispose to unproductive activities very often and could be detrimental tool welfare on the whole schools principals where therefore, assessed by their subordinate for credible performance based on application of leadership style. Laissez-faire leadership allows complete freedom to group decision without the leader’s participation. Thus, subordinates are free to do what they like. The role of the leader is just to supply materials. The leader does not interfere with or participate in the course of events determined by the group Talbert and Milbrey (1994).

Laissez-faire leadership is when leaders are hands off and allow group members to make the decisions. With this style, freedoms are fully determined by group goals, techniques, and working methods. Leaders rarely intervene. Laissez-faire style is described by Hackman and Johnson (2009) as the most effective style, especially where followers are matured and highly motivated.

Laissez-faire is a French phrase that means let it be and describes leaders who allow followers to work without supervision (Nwokocha & Iheriohanma, 2015). It is the kind of leadership where the leader is inactive, rather than reactive or proactive. The laissez-faire leadership style, also known as the “hands-off” style or free reign, is one in which the leader (principal) provides little or no direction and gives tutors as much freedom as possible. According to Gill (2014) it means leaving subordinates to complete tasks and jobs in the way they choose without adherence to any strict policies or procedures. Principals who adopt the laissez-faire leadership style exercise little control over the tutors and let the tutors have freedom to carry out their assigned tasks without direct supervision (Wu &Shiu, 2009).

True laissez-faire is in fact “non-leadership” because the leader has almost no influence over the group (Bass, 1999). Bass (1985) describes the Laissez faire leadership style as one in which the leader has no belief in his/her own ability to supervise. He further states that the leader has no clear set goals towards how they may work, do not help the group in making decisions and so leaves too much responsibility with their subordinates. According to Puni et al., (2014), the laissez-faire leader avoids controlling his employees and so only relies on the few available employees who are loyal to get a task done. A Laissez faire leader does not believe in employee development as they believe that employees can take care of themselves (Puni et al., 2014).

The behaviour of a laissez-faire leader makes it difficult to distinguish the leader from the followers. Principals who use this style of leadership believe that there should be no rules and regulations since everybody has inborn sense of responsibility. The philosophical assumption underlying laissez-faire leadership is that naturally human beings are unpredictable and uncontrollable and trying to understand people is a waste of time and energy. Under this style, the principal tries to maintain a low profile, respects all departments and sections within the institution, trying not to create waves of disturbance, and relies on the few available loyalists to get job done (Northouse, 2007).

The laissez-faire principal lives and works with whatever structure is put in place without any suggestions or criticisms. Goals and objectives are established only when necessary and required. Such a principal shuns decision-making as much as possible, and would avoid communication but communicates only when needed. Thus, the business of staff development is not a concern of the Laissez faire leader principal, who believes that tutors can take care of themselves (Rowe, 2007). The laissez-faire leadership style is passive, unassertive and tends to allow self-empowerment among tutors (Harper, 2012). Due to frequent absence and lack of involvement when making important decisions, the laissez-faire principal drives tutors to self-management.

Democratic Leadership Style and Students’ Academic Performance

Many studies on leadership styles in schools have continuously advocated for the democratic style of leadership as it has been seen to improve students’ academic performance of the schools (Nsubuga, 2008). So, it is through this style of leadership that students can be involved in the maintenance of good academic achievement through their involvement in the organizations’ administration. The principal should therefore encourage and recognize the contribution of the members for the school to be successful. In support of this assertion, Dury and Levin (1994) observed that democratic/participation leadership or management style has a potential of improving the student performance.

Democracy is therefore a type of leadership where orders are given after consultation, policies are worked out after discussion, plans are given before asking people to act and there is participation of group in decision making. The outcome of this leadership is better quality of work, members become constructive and work well together and they own up the decisions made. Schools are seen to be humanistic organizations hence to achieve any meaningful success all human components must be involved. Schools are also regarded as social systems whose components are the head teacher, teachers, students, parents, Board of Management, government officers, sponsors and communities. Therefore, among the three main styles of leadership, democratic styles fit squarely in the school set up as it advocates for inclusion of all players in pursuing the organizational goals.

Many studies on leadership styles in schools have continuously advocated for the democratic style of leadership as it has been seen to improve the performance of the schools (Nsubuga, 2008). Democratic leadership style in secondary school set up is characterized by many attributes. First formation of groups such as students’ body, PTA and BOM which should work together on the basis of solidarity, cooperation, integrity and acceptance of legitimate authority to achieve the schools goals, (Hoy, 1986). Secondly, the members of the organization should be motivated to participate and exposed and sensitized on their needs and rights in the participation (Shaeffer, 1992). Thirdly, participation should lead to decision making. The decisions made are normally qualitative as they are made by a group.

However, the principal still has the final authority of approving the decision (Powers, 1984). Fourthly, increased communication among the members Fifth; shared responsibility and authority, Sixth; participation should be voluntary (Stine, 1993).This means students and other members should not be coerced to participate. Lastly is clarification of the legal status of the students, teachers and parents in school management.

Autocratic Leadership Style and Student Academic Performance

The autocratic leadership style is also known as the authoritarian style of leadership. Power and decision making resides in the autocratic leader. The autocratic leader directs group members on the way things should be done. The leader does not maintain clear channel of communication between him or her and the subordinates to participate in policy making. “Principal motivates the teachers by threat” has an insignificant and negative correlation with student academic performance (Fokam,2024). Teachers do not work properly in the tension and threat environment. This environment is harmful that lowers down academic performance of students. Autocratic leadership style has a significant and negative correlation with academic performance because decisions are imposed on subordinates. In schools, subordinates are ordered to do and they have no option to refuse. Most of the arts and science teachers may not adjust themselves to such type of leadership; therefore, academic performance lowers down instead of improving. Teachers are pressurized to do official work in addition to teaching; this has an insignificant and negative correlation with academic performance. Teachers do not teach properly in the situation of extra burden. This type of leadership creates tension in the school and lowers down the academic performance.

METHODOLOGY

Population of the study

Amin (2005) holds that a population is the aggregate of items or objects from which samples are drawn, constituting the entire collection of observations to which results are generalized. Ordinarily, the term population refers to a group of people inhabiting a specified Geographical location. In research the term is used in a more general sense to include all members or elements, be they human beings, animal trees objects and events of a well-defined group. For this study, the population constitutes all the secondary school teachers in Mezam Division. The population of secondary school teachers in Mezam at this time stood at 3620 teachers. This number was unevenly distributed in the division. The population of the study is divided into three types which will be as follows; Target population, Accessible population and Sample population.

The target population of the study was 522 teachers of GBHS Atielah, GBHS Bamenda, CAMSCI Nkwen and St. Paul’s College Nkwen.  The sample size was made of  203 teachers determined using the krejcie and morgan (1970) table. Focus group discussion was also use to have students perception on teachers leadership styles.

Sampling Technique

The researcher used the simple random sampling technique to have the sample for this study. the total sample and answered the four-point Likert scale (strongly agree, agree, disagree and strongly disagree) questionnaires and constituted of 33 items in total.

Data analysis method

This study adopted a mixed research method .Data collected from the close ended likert scale questionnaires were analyzed using Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 25.0. Measures of central tendency (mean) and dispersion (standard deviation) were used for descriptive statistics. The hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance using simple linear regression technique . The reliability of the instrument was determine using the Cronbach alpha with a value of 0.963 making it very reliable for the study.

With the qualitative data analysis focus group discussion were use with opened ended questions. In the focus group discussion 12 participant (students) were group  to ensure active participation while maintaining manageability .  A series of eight group were created (96 stusents). Each group discussion lasted between 1-2 hours. A thematic analysis was use to analysed the opnions of  groups using NVIVO 12.

RESULTS

This chapter presented the research findings and analysis. The study investigated teacher Leadership Styles and their Effects on Students’ Academic Performance in selected secondary Schools in Bamenda III Sub-Division. The data was collected through the use of a questionnaire. Findings were presented to respond to three specific research questions of the study. The study sought to provide answers to three specific research questions (i) To what extent does teachers’ laissez-faire leadership style influence the academic performance of students?.(ii) To what extent does the autocratic leadership style of teachers on students’ academic performance? (iii) What is the influence of the coaching leadership style of teachers on students’ academic performance?

Demographic Characteristics of the Study

Table 1: Gender Distribution of Respondent

Source: Field Work, 2022

Figure 1: Gender of Respondents

The population of this study were 203 respondents. According to table 1, 48 of the respondents are male while 155 of the respondents are female, making a percentage of 23.6% and 76.4%, respectively. This variation is due to the fact that there are more females than males in the sample schools. This indicates that most of the teachers in secondary schools in Bamenda III Division are females.

Table2: Type of Schools

Source: Field Work, 2022

Figure 2: Type of Schools

Table 3: Educational Qualification

Source: Field Work, 2022

With respect to academic qualification, the majority of respondents 39.6% are Master’s degree holders, 23.6% are PLEG,21.7% are PLET, PCEG 11.8%  and 6.4% are PCET.

Figure 3: Educational Qualification

Work Experience

Respondents were grouped into three groups of experience. The first group (0-10) years of experience, the second group (10-20) years of experience, and the third (20+) years of experience.

Table 4: Work Experience

Source: Field Work, 2022

Figure 4: Work Experience

Presentation of Finding

Table 5: Respondent’s View on Autocratic Leadership Style

Source: Field Work, 2022

All five items designed to measure respondent’s views on autocratic leadership style have a mean greater than 2.5 which is the cuff of the mean. It shows that 52.7% of respondent strongly agree Teachers make a fast decision on student’s management, 42.9% of respondent strongly agree to Improve productivity and efficiency of teachers in teaching, 39.4% of respondent strongly agree on Structured and disciplined approach in line with student’s performance, 69.5% of respondent strongly agree on Clear communication between students and teachers as unilateral direction and finally, 62.6% of respondent strongly agree it Helps in crisis management.

Table 6: Respondent’s View on Laisse-Faire Leadership Style

Source: Field Work, 2022

All five items designed to measure respondent’s views on laissez-faire leadership style have a mean greater than 2.5 which is the cuff of the mean. It shows that 40.4% of respondents agree on the teacher takes very long to respond to students’ concerns, 43.3% of respondents agree on encourage the personal development of students,44.3% on Positive motivation for students

Development,42.4% of respondents agree on facilitating teamwork among teachers and students, and 52.7% of respondents strongly disagree on encouraging teachers’ appraisal and decision making inline with students’ performance.

Table 7: Respondent’s View on Coaching Leadership Style

Source: Field Work, 2022

All five items designed to measure respondent’s views on coaching leadership style have a mean greater than 2.5 which is the cuff of the mean. It shows that 32.5% of respondents strongly agree on the teacher provides feedback and helps team members grow in their skills,34.5% of respondents agree on bringing the teacher close to his students and thus encouraging academic performance,43.3% of respondents strongly agree on developing highly effective questioning skills on the part of the learners,46.3% of respondent strongly agree on Motivate team members and finally 68% of respondent strongly agree on ease teacher to recognise each students strength and weakness while teaching.

Table 8: Academic Performance

Source: Field Work, 2022

All five items designed to measure respondent’s views on autocratic leadership style have a mean greater than 2.5 which is the cuff of the mean. It shows that 48.3% of respondents agree on the results for the GCE examination are always good in these schools,47.3% of respondents strongly agree that there is a character for competition among students,45.3% of respondents strongly agree that students perform better during promotion exams to next class level,47.3% of respondent strongly agree on teachers allows the student to develop skills through collaboration, and finally 34.5% of respondent agree on students always perform well in regional mock exams and have a good ranking on national classification.

Qualitative Data analysis on student perceptions on leadership style. (Focus group discussion)

1. What is your grade level?
   “My name is Daniel, and I’m in Form 4, Form 5, Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth .”
2. How long have you been attending this school?
   “We been here for 3-5  years, but the last two years have been very difficult because of the crisis. That has stop school regurally within the academic because of the war.”
3. Can you describe the current situation in your community or school environment?
   “There is a lot of tension. Sometimes it’s not safe to come to school, and classes are often interrupted by the crisis. We don’t have enough resources, and some teachers are too scared to come to school regularly.”
4. How would you describe the relationship between students and teachers in your school?
   “Some are very supportive and understanding, but others are strict and don’t listen to our problems.”
5. How does the school manage challenges arising from the crisis?
   “The school tries to organize classes in a safe location, but we sometimes miss weeks of learning. Teachers do their best, but there’s only so much they can do.”

Exploring Leadership Styles

1. Laissez-Faire Leadership

• Can you recall a time when a teacher left most of the decision-making to the students?
  “Yes, some  of our teachers often lets us decide how to divide the class into groups or choose topics for projects. But they  don’t really guide us.”
• How did that make you feel?
  “Sometimes it’s good because we feel free, but other times it’s frustrating because we don’t know what to do. It feels like the teacher doesn’t care.”
• Did this approach help or hinder your learning in the crisis environment?
  “It didn’t really help because we needed more structure and guidance, especially with everything else going on.”

2. Autocratic Leadership

• Have you had teachers who made all the decisions without involving students?
  “Yes, we have some teacher who decides everything—where we sit, what we learn, and even when we take breaks.”
• How did you feel about this teaching style?
  “It can be annoying because we don’t have a say, but it also makes us feel safe because someone is in control.”
• Did it help you feel more secure during the crisis, or did it create tension?
  “It helped me feel secure because the teacher seemed confident and strict, which made the class feel organized even when things outside were chaotic.”

3. Coaching Leadership

• Have you experienced teachers who guided and supported you to overcome challenges?
  “Yes, there are some teachers who always asks us about our challenges and gives us advice on how to cope.”
• How did this leadership style impact your learning and well-being?
  “It really helped because it made us  feel like someone cared. we started to believing we could succeed despite the difficulties in our GCE and class exams.”
• Can you share an example of a teacher who motivated you to succeed despite the difficulties in the crisis zone?
  “Our computer science teacher encourages us to focus on our studies even when  we thinking of dropping out. She gave me extra assignments to keep me busy and reminded me that education could change my future.”

Impact of Leadership Styles on Students

1. Which leadership style do you think works best in a crisis zone like this? Why?
   “we  think coaching works best because it balances structure and support. We need someone to guide us but also to understand what we are going through.”
2. How do teachers’ leadership styles affect your ability to focus, learn, or feel safe?
   “When teachers are too strict, it makes me nervous and hard to focus. When they are too relaxed, it feels like we’re wasting time. Coaching makes me feel like I can do my best.”
3. What would you suggest teachers do differently to support students in a crisis zone?
   “Teachers should try to talk to us more and understand our problems. They should also give clear instructions so we don’t feel lost.”
4. Do you have any additional comments or concerns you would like to share?
   “We just hope the crisis ends soon so we can study in peace. Teachers and students need to work together to make the best of this situation.”

Correlation Analysis

To test the previously established hypotheses with the help of simple linear regression analyses, Saunders et al. (2016) state that the collected data has to meet the precondition that is concerned with the linearity of the relationship between the separate independent variables and the dependent Variables relationships between the different IVs, Autocratic leadership style, Laisse-faire leadership style, Coaching leadership style and DVs Academic performance.

Table 9: Correlation of variable

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Verification of  Hypotheses Using Simple Linear Regression

H₀1: Autocratic leadership style has no statistically significant influence on students’ academic performance.

Table 10: Model Summary of the Effect of Autocratic Leadership Style on Academic Performance

Here, regression was also carried out to ascertain the extent to which autocratic leadership style scores predict academic performance. There was a strong positive linear relationship between the autocratic leadership style and students’ academic performance scores, which was confirmed with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of r = .927. The regression model predicted 8.59 % of the variance. (p =.000) which implies that the test is highly significant. Thus we can assume that there is a statistically significant autocratic leadership style scores predict students’ academic performance.

Table 11 ANOVA the Effect of Autocratic Leadership Style on Academic Performance.

With an F value = 1227.405, p= .000, the test is highly significant. Thus, we can assume that there is a statistically significant on autocratic leadership style that predictsstudents’ academic performance.

Table 12: Coefficients on the Effect of Autocratic Leadership Style on Academic Performance.

The regression results showed a significant positive relationship between autocratic leadership style and students’ academic performance.(t = 35.034, p= 0.000).

H₀2:Laisse-faire leadership style has no statistically significant influence on students’ academic performance.

Table 13: Model Summary on the Effect of Laisse-faire Leadership Style on Students’ Academic Performance

Here, regression was also carried out to ascertain the extent to which laissez-faire leadership style scores predict students academic performance. There was a strong positive linear relationship between the laisse-faire leadership and students’ academic performance scores, which was confirmed with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of r = .944. The regression model predicted 8.94 % of the variance.(p =.000) which implies that the test is highly significant. Thus we can assume that there are a statistically significant, laisse-faire leadership score predict students academic performance.

Table 14: ANOVA the Effect of Laisse-faire Leadership Style on Students’ Academic Performance

With an F value = 1699.613, p= 0.000, the test is highly significant. Thus we can assume that there is a statistically significant on laissez-faire leadership style scores predicting students’ academic performance.

DISCUSSION

Teacher Autocratic leadership style has a statistically significant influence on students’ academic performance in Bamenda III Sub-division. The regression results showed a significant positive relationship between autocratic leadership style and students’ academic performance. (t = 35.034, p= 0.000). The null hypothesis was rejected for our study. Also the work of Mchomvu, 2017support the use of Chi-square to show this relation in the Mkuranga district.

Also supported by Vugt (2003) when discussing autocratic to social dilemmas. He observed that the autocratic leadership style is not very bad sometimes it is the most effective style to use. However, it requires clear procedures and effective supervision, especially in times of crisis.

Laissez-faire leadership style has a statistically significant influence on students’ academic performance. The regression results showed a significant positive relationship between laissez-faire leadership style on students’ academic performance scores (t = 41.226, p= 0.000). The null hypothesis was rejected for our study. This result is in line with the work of Msoffe (2017).

Coaching leadership style has a statistically significant influence on students’ academic performance. The regression results showed a significant positive relationship between coaching leadership style on students’ academic performance scores (t = 34.161, p= 0.000). Also, the null hypothesis was rejected for our study. This is supported by Oyugi (2018) in his study on principal leadership style and academic performance in Awendo sub-county, Kenya.

CONCLUSION

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of teachers’ leadership styles on the student’s academic performance in secondary schools in Bamenda III Municipality North West region of Cameroon.

From the research findings researcher would like to make the following conclusion. Leadership is the key to the progress and survival of the school as an organization. For the school to perform well in academics effective leadership is needed. Effective leadership style is key to solving the problem of working with various students and conveying organizational progress and change to the next level. Lack of effective leadership in schools lowers learners ‘achievement: it often results in dysfunctional school organization and programmes, leads to unstable and discontented staff, learners ‘negative attitudes to academic work and discipline, an unhealthy school system or climate and lack of cooperation from parents or the community.

There are various leadership styles such as autocratic, laissez-faire and laissez-faire leadership styles used by teachers of the schools in Bamenda III secondary schools. The coaching leadership style is mostly used by teachers of the schools in Bamenda III and a high number of teachers believe in coaching leadership as teachers guide students and motivate them towards achieving their goals as good performance. , The laissez-faire leadership style is the second leadership that influences academic performance. It has the second most felt impact after coaching leadership style on academic performance. Then lastly autocratic leadership style had the least impact on academic performance. This study concluded that no single leadership style was better than the other in a crises period but teachers could adjust their leadership style concerning the situation. A student’s academic performance depends on the teacher’s leadership style. From the results, it is evident that autocratic, laisse faire and coaching leadership styles all played a great role in students’ academic performance.

RECOMMENDATION

There should be in-service training for teachers on leadership. This will help them to be updated and be provided with new knowledge and leadership skills concerning changing contexts and management models.

School rules and regulations should be reconstructed in such a way that it will also consider the broken and stressed minds of the learners. This will give them a sense of belongingness which will comfort them and cause them to love the school environment more, thus, engaging more in their bookwork. This will eventually influence performance in a positive manner.

The coaching leadership style should be massively used in schools as it motivates learners to get more engaged in their bookwork and get more comfortable even in the time of crisis.

By using various leadership styles, school teachers should closely monitor student’s development in collaboration with other teachers and parents. This will help them to determine whether students adhere to the school’s academic targets and can make remedial measures to tackle the identified weaknesses in both leadership and performance levels.

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