FEMALE LEADERSHIP DISCOURSES: THE DYNAMICS OF TEACHER PERFORMANCE IN BASIC SCHOOLS IN THE UPPER DENKYIRA EAST MUNICIPALITY OF GHANA (Published)
The study sought to explore the leadership styles that female head teachers employ in managing their schools and their teachers job performance in Upper Denkyira East municipality of Ghana. The researchers explored the leadership styles of head teachers to establish if it is helping teachers to perform their teaching and learning jobs well. An exploratory mixed method design was used in the study where a total sample of nineteen head teachers and one hundred and five teachers’ were selected. Nineteen female head teachers and one hundred and five teachers were given questionnaires to respond to, ten out of the one hundred and five teachers were picked for observation on teachers’ job performance. Later five head teachers were interviewed. The primary data was collected using structured questionnaires and semi-structured interview guides for teachers and that of heads. The entire questionnaire used in the study had the reliability of 0.81 of interview data helped in establishing the leadership styles and challenges female head teachers experience in their line of duty. Besides independent sample t-test, Chi-square, correlation and One – Way ANOVA were used to test formulated hypotheses on female head teachers’ leadership styles and teachers’ job performance. The research revealed that the female head teachers perceived that they are employing the situational and democratic leadership styles. Besides, family issues were the major barrier women in leadership face. In addition, teachers who worked under female head teachers who employed situational type of leadership style had the highest level of job performance. Based on these findings, it was recommended that female heads should do away with top down decision-making processes, share responsibility and power for leadership widely throughout the school and take the staff opinions into account
Keywords: Discourses, East Municipality, Female Leadership, Ghana, Teacher Performance, Upper Denkyira, basic schools