Abstract

• The main aim of this study is to examine the leadership styles adopted by school principals and their influence on the job performance of basic education high school principals’ current leadership styles. Descriptive research method was used in this study. 139 teachers at five selected Basic Education High Schools working in Waw Township, Bago Region were studied, using purposive sampling method. Questionnaires for teachers composing four main portions, demographic data, the perceptions on teachers’ on leadership styles, the perceptions on teachers’ on job performance and the open-ended questions were used. Instrument was reviewed by the teacher-experts. The reliability coefficient for the principals’ leadership styles was 0.87 and for the teachers’ performance was 0.91. Based on the findings obtained from the questionnaires, the total mean values for the principals’ leadership styles were 4.48, 4.45, 4.42 and 4.41 respectively. It could be concluded that the principals mostly used supportive styles and directive styles than participative styles and achievement-oriented styles. Moreover, the total mean values for teachers’ job performance for School A, B, C, D and E were 4.68, 4.62, 4.71, 4.65 and 4.47 respectively. The result of the data analysis indicated that the principals of School A, C and D always used supportive leadership style and directive leadership style was frequently used by the principals of School B and E. According to the result, the dimensions teachers' job performance were significantly correlated with principal’s leadership styles. Computing to the result of Pearson correlation, the result indicated that the principal’s leadership styles have a positively impact on the teachers’ job performance in this study.