Leadership Competence On School Operations And Teacher Empowerment: A Proposed Innovation Plan

Abstract

The effectiveness of schools significantly relies on the leadership competence of administrators, particularly school leaders, who play a central role in shaping the institution's culture, performance, and overall success. However, in many educational settings, there is a gap between leadership practices and the desired outcomes in teacher empowerment.

This study examined the relationship between school administrators’ competence in school operations and teacher empowerment among 215 public elementary school teachers. Specifically, it assessed the levels of teacher empowerment and administrators’ competence, determined the relationship between these variables, identified differences in teacher empowerment according to selected demographic characteristics, and explored teachers’ perceptions of leadership competencies and experiences that influence their empowerment.

A convergent mixed-methods research design was employed. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank-order correlation, Mann–Whitney U Test, and Kruskal–Wallis H test, while qualitative responses were analyzed through content analysis.

The findings revealed that teachers exhibited a very high level of empowerment, while school administrators demonstrated a very high level of competence in school. A significant moderate positive relationship was found between school administrators’ competence and teacher empowerment, indicating that higher administrative competence was associated with greater teacher empowerment. Significant differences in teacher empowerment were observed according to age, years of teaching experience, career position, and highest educational attainment, whereas sex and marital status showed no significant differences. Qualitative findings highlighted communication, active listening, integrity, decision-making, recognition, trust, professional development, and shared decision-making as key factors influencing teacher empowerment.

The study concludes that competent and supportive school leadership plays a vital role in enhancing teacher empowerment. It recommends strengthening participatory leadership, expanding professional development opportunities, and promoting collaborative decision-making to further improve teacher empowerment and school effectiveness.