Transformational Leadership of School Principals and Teachers’ Organisational Commitment in Secondary Schools in Lagos State

This study empirically investigates the relationship between principals' transformational leadership behaviours and teachers' organisational commitment in public secondary schools in Lagos State, South West Nigeria. Although transformational leadership has been widely associated with positive organisational outcomes in educational management literature, empirical evidence from Lagos State's large and diverse secondary school system remains sparse. The study employs a cross-sectional survey design, drawing a stratified random sample of 380 teachers from 20 public secondary schools across Ikeja, Eti-Osa, and Badagry local government areas. Data were collected using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and Allen and Meyer's Organisational Commitment Scale, both adapted and validated for the Nigerian context. Structural equation modelling using AMOS was applied to test the hypothesised relationships. The study draws on Bass and Avolio's Full Range Leadership Model and Social Exchange Theory. It examines the four transformational dimensions of idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualised consideration as predictors of affective, continuance, and normative commitment. Findings are expected to reveal that idealised influence and individualised consideration are the strongest predictors of affective commitment. The moderating role of school size and teacher years of experience is also tested. Recommendations address the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission and teacher education institutions on embedding transformational leadership training in principal preparation programmes. Keywords: transformational leadership, organisational commitment, secondary schools, Lagos State, school principals