Investigation of Value-Based Leadership Characteristics of School Administrators According to Teachers' Perceptions

Abstract

This study examined teachers’ perceptions of school administrators’ value-based leadership characteristics and determined whether these perceptions differed across teacher- and school-related variables. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The participants were 368 teachers working in 20 public high schools in Sivas city center during the 2022–2023 academic year and were recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the 31-item School Principals’ Value-Based Leadership Scale, which comprises universal, individual, moral, and national values dimensions. Descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney U tests, and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used. Teachers rated their administrators’ value-based leadership characteristics at the “agree” level overall and in all four dimensions. Perceptions did not differ by professional seniority, educational level, number of teachers in the school, number of principals previously worked with, or school tenure. Significant differences emerged for gender in the universal and national values dimensions, subject field in the national values dimension, perceived principal performance in all dimensions, willingness to undertake school administration in the universal, individual, and moral values dimensions, school satisfaction in all dimensions, and the perceived importance of values education in the universal, moral, and national values dimensions. The findings indicate that leadership development programs should strengthen administrators’ capacity to enact universal, individual, moral, and national values consistently across different school context.