Exploring female leadership: servant leadership practices in basic education in Oman

Servant leadership practices have been shown to enhance job satisfaction and organizational commitment; however, further research is still needed within the context of Omani educational institutions, particularly concerning female school leaders. This quantitative study seeks to deepen the understanding of servant leadership practices, especially regarding the leadership dynamics of female leaders in basic education schools. It aims to develop leadership performance and improve educational decision-making practices by investigating the status of servant leadership practices among female school leaders in basic education schools in the Sultanate of Oman. Using the convenience sampling method, a questionnaire was administered to 178 female teachers to assess their views on the servant leadership practices of their school principals. The questionnaire consisted of two sections: demographic variables and servant leadership practices, which comprised five dimensions: empowerment, humility, and emotional recovery, assisting subordinates and providing organizational support, supervision and community building, and ethical conduct. Pearson correlation coefficients fell within acceptable limits, and Cronbach’s alpha indicated good reliability. SPSS was used to compute means, standard deviations, independent sample t-tests, and one-way ANOVA analyses. The study results showed that the level of servant leadership practices among female school leaders was generally moderate. Additionally, the results indicated no statistically significant differences in the participants’ responses attributable to the study variables. The findings can help specialized training centers develop tailored programs that address gender-specific leadership barriers and promote general leadership practices. Furthermore, the study results can guide policy reform efforts to support female leadership, emphasizing the integration of servant leadership practices within the educational framework to foster a supportive school environment.