This study examined the relationship between principals’ communication styles and teachers’ job commitment in secondary schools in Osun State, Nigeria. Correlational survey research design was used for the study. The study population consisted of 6,922 secondary school teachers and 466 principals in the State, while the sample for the study consisted of 720 teachers and 36 principals. From the 30 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the State, nine LGAs were selected using simple random sampling technique. Four schools were selected from each LGA using simple random sampling technique. The principal and twenty teachers were selected from each of the 36 schools using purposive and simple random sampling technique respectively. Two instruments were used for the study, namely; Principals’ Communication Styles Questionnaire (PCSQ) and Teachers’ Job Commitment Questionnaire (TJCQ). The hypotheses formulated were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The results indicated that aggressive communication style was negatively related to teachers’ job commitment to school and positively related to teachers’ commitment to teaching and learning, but had no significant relationship with teachers’ commitment to the teaching profession. There was also positive relationship between open communication style and teachers’ commitment to school, negative relationship to teachers’ commitment to teaching and learning, but no relationship with teachers’ commitment to the teaching profession. Negative relationship existed between inclusive communication style and teachers’ commitment to teaching and learning, but positively related to teachers’ commitment to school but not related to commitment to the teaching profession. There was no relationship between assertive communication style and teachers’ commitment to teaching and learning, teachers’ commitment to school and teachers’ commitment to the teaching profession. The study recommended that secondary school principals should carefully choose their communication styles in order to keep teachers committed to their jobs. Data were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation.
Keywords: communication styles, principalship, teachers’ job commitment
