Effect of School Leadership Practices on the Commitment of Secondary School Teachers in Musanze District, Rwanda

Abstract

This study examined the effect of school leadership practices on the commitment of secondary school teachers in public schools within Musanze district, Rwanda. The specific objectives were to assess the influence of teachers' motivation, supervision, evaluation, and training and development practices on teachers' commitment to work. This research was guided by two theories: Herzberg two factor theory and Max Weber bureaucracy theory. By using a correlational research design, the study employed a quantitative research approach in collecting and analyzing data. The closed-ended questionnaire was filled out by 167 teachers and 44 school leaders, who were randomly selected from a target population of 305. Reliability was confirmed by a pilot study using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data for the first, second, third and fourth research questions on school leadership practices and teachers’ commitment to work was analyzed through descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation) and regression analysis, while qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The findings revealed significant effects of all four leadership practices on teachers' commitment in Musanze district. Notably, motivation practices (β=0.469, P value <0.05), supervision practices (β=0.368, P-value < 0.05), evaluation practices (β=0.495, P value < 0.05), and training and development practices (β=0.081, P value < 0.05) all exhibited positive linear relationships with teachers' commitment. This study recommends that the leadership in schools under examination should foster teachers' commitment to their work in order to improve student outcomes, which is essential for overall school success.