The Leadership Styles Used by Heads of Junior High Schools in the Management of Social Studies Teachers in Tamale Metropolis

Aim: This study explored the leadership styles used by heads of Junior High Schools (JHSs) in managing Social Studies Teachers in Tamale Metropolis. The goal was to identify dominant styles and the factors influencing their selection, and a cross-sectional survey design was employed for the study. Methods: The study employed a multi-stage sampling approach to survey 76 of 96 junior high school headteachers and 141 Social Studies teachers in Tamale Metropolis, resulting in a total of 217 participants. The reliability of the questionnaire items was validated using the Cronbach’s alpha formula. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and with the assistance of SPSS version 27. Results: The most common leadership style, according to the results, was transactional. School culture, teacher preparedness, situational expectations, and leadership ideology were identified as the primary factors influencing the school. The effects of professional experience, school resources, external stressors, and staff and student characteristics were moderate. Conclusion: These findings emphasize the importance of an educational leadership approach in promoting effective headteachers’ school management. Recommendation: The study recommends that the Ghana Ministry of Education should organize regular leadership training for headteachers to enhance adaptive leadership style integration and ensure decisions are guided by institutional needs rather than personal preferences.