Principals’ Leadership Styles and Teacher Retention in Secondary Schools in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria: A Mixed-Methods Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57260/csdj.2026.287346Keywords:
Leadership styles, Teacher retention, Transformational leadership, Secondary schools, NigeriaAbstract
Teacher retention remains a major challenge in secondary schools in Nigeria. This study investigated the influence of principals’ leadership styles on teacher retention in public secondary schools in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State. A mixed-methods research design combining descriptive survey and qualitative interviews was adopted. Data were collected from 420 participants (20 principals and 400 teachers) selected from 20 secondary schools across five Local Government Areas using a multi-stage sampling technique involving purposive, stratified, and simple random sampling. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and one-way ANOVA with SPSS. Results indicated that transformational leadership (β = 0.462) was the strongest predictor of teacher retention, followed by democratic leadership (β = 0.298) and transactional leadership (β = 0.149), while autocratic leadership negatively predicted retention (β = −0.241). Leadership styles explained 62.7% of the variance in teacher retention (R² = 0.627). Qualitative findings further highlighted communication, administrative support, fairness, and professional development as key factors influencing teacher retention. The study concludes that transformational and democratic leadership practices significantly enhance teacher retention in Nigerian secondary schools.
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