The Crucial Impact of Leadership Style Towards Academic Achievement in China

Abstract

With the emergence of the knowledge economy society, education has gained high prestige in China since the majority of Chinese citizens believe that education is the key to a country's future progress. It is essential for every school administrator to exercise effective management of the organisation through strong leadership. The leadership styles of principals have an effect on the climate of the school; the attitudes that teachers have toward leadership; the turnover rate of instructors; and the academic achievements of students. Therefore, this conceptual article investigated the various clusters of leadership styles and the relationship between the principal's leadership style and student academic achievement in China. Two main clusters of leadership, which are transactional leadership and transformational leadership, will be measured as significant measurements for student academic achievement. Contingency or situational theory has been proposed to support the whole body of study. The suggested framework on principal leadership style and its relationship with student achievement in China's schools was to understand where each leadership style was applied and how leadership styles are linked to student achievement. It is critical for subsequent analysis to confirm that different principal leadership practices and their philosophies were strongly related to the contingency of principals' positions and that differences in leadership philosophies can affect student progress. Taking into account the methodological implications for academics and policymakers, this study also made two suggestions for future research on executive leadership and leadership styles.