Principals’ Leadership Styles and Teachers’ Job Performance in Secondary Schools in Ondo State

This study investigates the relationship between principals' leadership styles and teachers' job performance in secondary schools in Ondo State, South West Nigeria. School leadership has consistently emerged as one of the strongest institutional factors influencing teacher effectiveness and student outcomes. The study adopts a descriptive survey design, drawing a sample of 340 teachers from public secondary schools in Akure South, Owo, and Ilaje local government areas. Data were collected using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (adapted) and a validated teacher job performance rating scale. Correlation and regression analyses were applied to examine relationships between transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles and dimensions of teacher performance. Bass and Avolio's Full Range Leadership Model provides the theoretical foundation. Findings are expected to indicate that transformational leadership positively predicts teacher motivation, lesson preparation quality, and professional commitment, while laissez-faire leadership is negatively associated with performance indicators. The moderating role of teacher experience on the leadership-performance relationship is also examined. Recommendations will address the Ondo State Secondary Education Board and the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria on training school principals in transformational leadership competencies. Teacher education implications include embedding leadership theory and school management content in pre-service and in-service training programmes. The study enriches local literature on educational administration and provides actionable guidance for improving secondary school governance in South West Nigeria. Keywords: principals' leadership styles, teachers' job performance, secondary schools, Ondo State, transformational leadership