Demographic Variables and Headteachers’ Managerial Styles in Public Primary Schools in Rivers East Senatorial District, Rivers State, Nigeria
Keywords:
Demographic Variables, Age, Gender, Autocratic Managerial Styles, Democratic Managerial StylesAbstract
The paper examined the influence of demographic variables on headteachers’ managerial styles in public primary schools in Rivers East Senatorial District of Rivers State. The paper was guided by two research objectives, two research questions, and two null hypotheses. The descriptive Survey Research Design was employed for the paper; this was to determine the influence of the independent and the dependent variables. The population of the paper is 2525 teachers across public primary schools in the Rivers East Senatorial District. A sample of 252 teachers was selected. Data collection was done using a researcher-designed questionnaire titled "Demographic Variables and Head Teachers’ Managerial Styles (QDVHTMS)." The questionnaire’s reliability was tested using the test- retest method, yielding a reliability index of 0.71. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation (SD). Null hypotheses were tested at a 0.5 significance level using Analysis of variance (ANOVA). Based on the analysis, the following findings were made: there is no significant influence of age on head teachers’ managerial styles in public primary schools in Rivers East Senatorial District of Rivers State; likewise, there is no significant influence of gender on head teachers' managerial style in public primary schools in Rivers East Senatorial District of Rivers State. The paper recommends that school authorities should prioritise continuous leadership training and capacity-building programs for head teachers, emphasising effective managerial styles and strategies, rather than relying on age or gender differences
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