This study addressed the influence of collective decision-making in participative leadership style on improving the quality of education in public secondary schools in Arusha region, Tanzania. The study was guided by participative system theory. The correlation survey design was adopted to establish the influence of collective decision-making on improving the quality of education. To this end, two hundred and ninety-one (291) respondents from 18 public secondary schools were selected in the mix of stratified and random sampling techniques from three (03) district councils in Arusha region. The study involved three (03) district education officers, eighteen (18) heads of schools, eighteen (18) academic masters/mistresses, one hundred and eighty (180) teachers, and seventy-two (72) students. The study collected data by using multiple instruments such as questionnaires for teachers, students, and academic masters/mistresses, interview schedules for district education officers and headmasters/mistresses, and document analysis schedules. Descriptive statistics such as mean scores, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages summarized data collected. Multiple Regression Analysis technique was used to analyze inferential statistics by testing hypotheses. The study findings revealed that collective decision-making is the crucial strategy of involving teachers and students in participative leadership by making them be part of the solution to the education challenges confronting the education sector. The academic masters/mistresses appeared to be more involved in collective decision-making than teachers and students. The study concluded that there is an existence of contradiction of application of collective decision making due to the manifestation of a top-down leadership system based on directive decisions from the highest authority. Based on the research findings and conclusions, the study recommended the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology to develop a clear policy that will guide headmasters/mistresses towards implementing the collective decision making by involving teachers and students for improving the quality of education in public secondary schools.
Keywords: Participative leadership style, Quality of Education, collective decision making
