The Impact of Principals’ Transformational Leadership Practices on Tutors’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs in the University Colleges of Education in Ghana

Abstract

Research studies have consistently demonstrated the statistically significant relationships between principals’ transformational leadership practices and teachers’ sense of efficacy in student engagement, instructional strategies and classroom management. What is less studied and very much less researched is the extent to which principals’ transformational leadership practices account for the variances in teachers’ sense of efficacies in tertiary institutions. This current study investigates tutors’ perceptions of the specific principals’ transformational leadership practices which impact on their sense of efficacy in student engagement, instructional strategies and classroom management in the university colleges of education in Ghana. Data was garnered using the PLQ and TSES questionnaire instruments. Following cluster sampling procedures, 629 tutors from 15 university colleges were selected for the study. Descriptive statistics, correlational and multiple regression analyses were to index the specific principals’ transformational leadership practices which accounted for the total variances in the three dimensions of tutors’ sense of efficacy. Findings indicate that principals’ transformational leadership practices such as providing vision and direction and holding high performance expectations accounted for most of the variances in tutors’ sense of efficacy in all three factors. This implies that principals who frequently exercise these leadership qualities are more likely to enhance their tutors’ self-efficacy beliefs in student engagement, instructional strategies and classroom management. Keywords : Principal Leadership Practices, transformational leadership, teacher performance, teacher self-efficacy beliefs, tutor sense of efficacy. DOI : 10.7176/JEP/11-3-04 Publication date: January 31 st 2020