IJRISS Logo

Managerial Skills of Mathematics–Specialized School Heads in Cotabato City Division

Authors

Norhaya D. Balawag

Degree Master of Science Education Major in Secondary Mathematics Graduate Program College of Education Mindanao State University - Maguindanao (Philippines)

Article Information

DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS.2026.100900522

Subject Category: Mathmatics

Volume/Issue: 10/9 | Page No: 7717-7759

Publication Timeline

Submitted: 2026-09-23

Accepted: 2026-09-28

Published: 2026-10-15

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the managerial skills of mathematics-specialized school heads in Cotabato City Division, specifically in handling complaints during the school year 2024–2025. Purposive sampling technique was used, considering that there are only 48 mathematics–specialized school heads or BSED major in mathematics that are now school heads in Cotabato City Division. The researcher of this study utilized a modified questionnaire used to obtain from the study of Songcayawon (2022) as its main instrument in obtaining appropriate data. The research investigated the demographic profiles of the respondents, including age, sex, highest educational attainment, and years in service. It further assessed how these school heads' managerial skills—particularly in decision-making, problem-solving, and communication—impacted their effectiveness in complaint management. The study also evaluated their counseling skills and examined the relationship between their managerial competencies and the effectiveness of complaint handling at the school level. The study was also employed a structured interview to obtain reliable data using the descriptive qualitative method. Finally, the study delved into their specific experiences in managing and addressing school-related complaints. Findings showed that most school heads were aged 31–35, predominantly female (68.8%), with 60.4% holding a master’s degree, and 41.7% having 4 to 10 years of service. The assessment revealed high levels of managerial competency, with mean scores of 4.34 in decision-making, 4.32 in problem-solving, and 4.38 in communication, all interpreted as "skilled." Their counseling skills were also rated skilled, with a mean of 4.39. A significant relationship was found between their managerial skills and their effectiveness in handling complaints, affirming the importance of such skills in educational leadership. The study concluded that managerial and counseling skills are essential for school heads to effectively manage complaints and promote a harmonious school environment. These findings reinforce existing literature that emphasizes the necessity of strong managerial capabilities in successful school leadership.

Keywords

Managerial Skills, Mathematics-Specialized School Heads, Complaint Handling, Educational Leadership, and Counseling Skills

Downloads

PDF JATS XML

References

1. Adams, R., & Robinson, L. (2022). The role of active listening in school leadership: Enhancing relationships and decision-making. Journal of Educational Administration. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Ali, I., Khan, A., Ahmad, R., & Hussain, M. (2021). Age and leadership effectiveness: A review of empirical evidence. Journal of Educational Leadership, 15(2), 134-148. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Ali, M., Li, Z., Khan, S., Shah, S. J., & Ullah, R. (2021). Linking humble leadership and project success: the moderating role of top management support with mediation of team-building. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 14(3), 545-562. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Andacao, A. (2022). Improving School Leadership: Integrating Conflict Resolution and Team Building Skills. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Arop, F. O. (2018). Principals' characteristics and their administration of discipline in public secondary schools in Ikom Education Zone, Cross River State, Nigeria. Prestige Journal of Counselling Psychology, 1(1), 71-78. https://bit.ly/381r4b8 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Birk, C. (2023) Leadership Excellence: Elevate Skills by Mastering the Art of Communication [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Brown, T., & Green, J. (2023). Strategic messaging and its impact on school leadership. Educational Management Review,. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Campos-Garcia, I., & Zúñiga-Vicente, J. A. (2022). Strategic decision-making in secondary schools: The impact of a principal's demographic profile. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 21(2), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2020.1802653 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Chen, Y., & Lee, K. (2024). Non-verbal communication in school leadership: Building trust and effective interactions. Journal of School Leadership, [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Day, F. C. (2018) Successful School Leadership: What It Is and How It Influences Pupil Learning [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Delmonte, R. (2021) Decision-Making Styles of School Heads and Their Perceived Work Performance of Teachers in Public Elementary Schools [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Duze, C. O. (2021). Students’ and teachers’ participation in decision-making and impact on school work and school internal discipline in Nigeria. International Multi-Disciplinary Journal. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Gebczynski, M., & Kutsyuruba, B. (2022). Veteran teachers’ perceptions of principals’leadership influence on school culture. International Journal for Leadership in Learning, 22(1), 265-304. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Giami, C. B. N., & Obiechina, F. N. (2019). Principals’ managerial skills and teachers’ job performance in public secondary schools in Rivers State Nigeria. International Journal of Innovative Psychology and Social Development, 7(2), 97-104 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Gomez, R. (2022) School Head’s Conflict Resolution Skills, Organizational School Climate, and Teacher Work Engagement in The New Normal: An Input to Principal and Teacher Development Program, International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Volume 5, Issue 2,. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Gomez, R. (2022) School Head’s Conflict Resolution Skills, Organizational School Climate, and Teacher Work Engagement in The New Normal: An Input to Principal and Teacher Development Program, International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities (IJMESH), Volume 5, Issue 2. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Graham, L. J., White, S. L., Cologon, K., & Pianta, R. C. (2020). Do teachers' years of experience make a difference in the quality of teaching? Teaching and teacher education, 96, 103190. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Green, L., & Patel, S. (2022). Adaptive problem-solving in school leadership: Strategies for dynamic environments. Journal of School Leadership, [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Gümüş, S., Şükrü Bellibaş, M., Şen, S., & Hallinger, P. (2024). Finding the missing link: Do principal qualifications make a difference in student achievement? Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 52(1), 28-51. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Jang, S. T., & Alexander, N. A. (2022). Black women principals in American secondary schools: Quantitative evidence of the link between their leadership and student achievement. Educational Administration Quarterly, 58(3), 450-486. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X211068415 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Johnson, A., & Brown, T. (2024). Collaborative decision-making in school leadership. Educational Management Review [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Johnson, A., & Lee, T. (2024). Active listening and its impact on school leadership effectiveness. Journal of Educational Administration [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Kandade, K., Samara, G., & Parada, M. J. (2021). From family successors to successful business leaders: A qualitative study of how high-quality relationships develop in family businesses. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 12(1), 100374, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2020.100374 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Kaufman, J. (2019) Stress and Coping Among Public School Principals in a Midwest Metropolitan Sample, Journal of research, [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Kirianki, B. K. (2017). Principals' characteristics influencing implementation of procurement practices in public secondary schools in Embakasi Sub-County, Nairobi County. Master's Thesis (University of Nairobi). http://hdl.handle.net/11295/102893 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Koirala, S., Singh, R., & Lee, J. (2023). Data-driven decision making in schools: A pathway to improved outcomes. Journal of Educational Research, [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Lien, C. M., Khan, S., & Eid, J. (2023). School principals’ experiences and learning from the Covid-19 pandemic in Norway. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 67(5), 775-790. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Martínez, M. M., Molina-López, M. M., & de Cabo, R. M. (2020). Explaining the gender gap in school principalship: A tale of two sides. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 47(2), 291–309. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220918258 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Martinez, S., & Johnson, P. (2023). The importance of verbal communication skills in educational leadership. Educational Leadership Quarterly [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Miller, R., & Davis, J. (2024). Interpersonal skills and problem-solving in educational leadership. Educational Leadership Quarterly. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Momoh, U., & Osagiobare, E. O. (2015). Implementation of quality assurance standards and principals’ administrative effectiveness in Public Secondary Schools in Edo and Delta States. World Journal of Education, 5(3), 107-114. https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v5n3p107 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Mutisya, A. M., Mulwa, D. M., & Mwania, J. M. (2017). The influence of principals' related factors on ICT integration in the management of public secondary schools in Kitui County, Kenya. Journal of Educational Policy and Entrepreneurial Research, 4(1), 13-24. https://bit.ly/2JZfYLT [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. National research council (2019) Assessing 21st Century Skills: Summary of a Workshop [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Nguyen, T., & Roberts, K. (2023). The role of technology in enhancing problem-solving skills of school heads. Educational Technology Research & Development, [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. Odigwe, F. N., & Owan, V. J. (2020). Academic staff personal variables and utilization of ICT resources for research, teaching, and records management in higher education. Proceedings of the 8th Annual European Conference on Education (ECE, 2020), 107–123. https://bit.ly/2GG36II [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Onubuleze, F. K. (2018). An evaluation of the relationship between principals' demographic factors and their performance in the task areas of management of secondary education in Nsukka Education Zone. Journal of Education and Practice, 9(18), 39-45. https://bit.ly/37fXHms [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Ovwigho, Y. M. (2021). The theory and practice of educational administration and planning in Nigeria. Benin City: Justice-Jeco Press and Publishers Limited [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. Owan, V. J. (2018). Management of educational support services and attainment of universal basic education goals in primary schools in Cross River State. Humanities and Social Sciences Letters, 6(4), 203–210. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.73.2018.64.203.210 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. Owan, V. J., Osim, R. O., Emanghe, E. E., Ameh, E., & Ekpenyong, J. A. (2021). Principals' management of library resources and teachers' lesson preparation practices in secondary schools: A predictive evaluation. Library Philosophy and Practice, Article 6180. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/6180 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. Owan, V. J., Osim, R. O., Liwhuliwhe, J. U., Edoho, G. E., Onabe, D. B., Ibor, I. O., &Owan, M. V. (2024). Principals' demographic qualities and the misuse of school material capital in secondary schools. Open Education Studies, 6(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2024-0009 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

41. ¹Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods. Sage Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

42. Patel, M., & Adams, R. (2023). Supporting mental health in schools: The role of school leadership. Educational Management Review, [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

43. Patel, M., Gupta, P., & Adams, C. (2023). Decision-making frameworks and tools for school heads. School Leadership & Management [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

44. Roberts, L., & Green, J. (2022). Conflict resolution strategies for school heads: Best practices and challenges. Journal of School Leadership [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

45. Shaked, H., Glanz, J., & Gross, Z. (2018). Gender differences in instructional leadership: How male and female principals perform their instructional leadership role. School Leadership & Management, 38(4), 417-434. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2018.1427569 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

46. Smith, J., & Lewis, R. (2022). Emotional intelligence and decision-making in school leadership. Journal of Educational Leadership. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

47. Songcayawon, LS.(YEAR) Managerial skills of schools' heads and the performance of teachers: The case of public schools in Antique, Philippines, Journal of Social Sciences and Management Studies, 2022. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

48. Tagarda, MS. (2022) Conflict Management Styles and Organizational Behavior of Public School Heads in The New Normal, Journal of research, [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

49. Thompson, H., & Parker, M. (2023). Cognitive strategies for effective problem-solving in school leadership. Journal of Educational Administration [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

50. Williams, H., & Martin, S. (2023). The role of empathy in effective school leadership. Educational Leadership Quarterly. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

51. Yoon, S. Y. (2016). Principals’ data-driven practice and its influences on teacher buy in and student achievement in comprehensive school reform models. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 15(4), 500–523. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2016.1181187 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

Metrics

Views & Downloads

Similar Articles