Orientations of Leadership Behaviours Required for School Transformation and Change

Abstract

Leadership is considered as one of the most important factors in school success.  Leaders from the successfully transformed schools demonstrate multiple leadership behaviours that vary according to situations. This qualitative study explored important orientations of leadership behaviours in two selected transformed schools in Malaysia. Data were collected through interviews, observations and document review. 28 participants (14 from each schools) including school leaders, administrators and teachers were selected through purposive sampling for interviews. The data collected were consolidated, reduced and interpreted. The four leadership behaviour orientations, which included task-oriented, relation-oriented, change-oriented and ethical-oriented leadership behaviour, came out as main orientations of leadership behaviours required for school transformation.  The study offers important implications for school leaders, policy makers, educationists and researchers in Malaysia and elsewhere with similar contexts. Keywords: Leadership behaviour orientations, School leaders, School transformation