Teachers’ and School Principals’ Attitudes towards Leadership Styles, School Climate and Job Satisfaction: A Comparative Study

Leadership has been identified as a significant factor impacting both school climate and job satisfaction. Leadership is not a unified phenomenon; rather, it can be expressed in a variety of distinct styles. In the context of leadership, two notable styles have often been identified: transformational leadership and transactional leadership. The former style is characterised by an emphasis on the organisational vision and the implementation of change, while the latter style is focused on the execution of processes in a correct manner. In the field of education, these two styles are the focus of extensive discussion. The present study proposes an approach to investigating the correlation between these two styles and school climate, as well as job satisfaction. Furthermore, it seeks to ascertain whether there is a significant discrepancy in attitudes between teachers and principals on these subjects. The sample consists of Greek primary school teachers and school principals. The findings indicate a correlation between transformational leadership and enhanced school climate, as well as elevated levels of job satisfaction. Principals exhibit more favourable attitudes towards these issues in comparison to teachers. This finding initiates a discourse on the potential repercussions of this discrepancy on leadership effectiveness.