TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION OF PRINCIPALS’ ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND STUDENTS’ DISCIPLINE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between teachers’ perception of principals’ ethical leadership and students’ discipline in public secondary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study examined how integrity, fairness and role modelling, both individually and jointly, predict students’ discipline. The study was guided by four research questions and four corresponding null hypotheses tested at a 0.05 level of significance. A correlational research design was adopted. The population comprised 7,248 teachers across 269 public secondary schools in the six education zones of Anambra State, from which a sample of 725 teachers was drawn through a multistage sampling procedure involving proportionate stratified and simple random techniques. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled The instruments used were the Teachers’ Perception of Principals’ Ethical Leadership Scale (TPPELS) and the Students’ Discipline Scale (SDS), both validated by experts in educational foundations and measurement. Reliability was established using Cronbach’s alpha, which yielded coefficients of 0.80 for TPPELS and 0.87 for SDS, indicating high internal consistency of the scales. Data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and multiple linear regression. The study found a significant relationship between principals’ ethical leadership and students’ discipline, with role modelling showing the strongest association, followed by integrity and fairness. The study concludes that ethical leadership practices by principals are pivotal for fostering students’ discipline and improving the overall quality of secondary education in Anambra State. It was recommended that principals’ preparation and professional development should prioritize ethical leadership, particularly integrity, fairness and role modelling, to strengthen school trust, enhance students’ discipline and promote a positive learning environment.