OBSERVED LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR OF PRIMARY SCHOOL HEAD-TEACHERS IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

The primary school head-teacher is the most important and influential individual in the school. It is his or her leadership that shapes the school’s learning climate, the level of relationship between staff, and the teachers’ morale. This investigation was therefore designed to determine and quantify the leadership qualities demonstrated by primary school head-teachers as observed by their class-teachers. Stratified random sampling technique was employed in the selection of 90 respondents from 45 out of the 246 primary schools in Ife Zonal Education Area of Osun State. Means, rankings and X2 were used to analyze the data gathered. It was found that headmasters as they are commonly called were highly loyal to their school system. They were also rated high in their demonstration of love and interest in teaching. They were averagely rated in tolerance, honesty and originality. The hypothesis, tested at 0.05 significant levels, that, the ratings of male and female teachers are not significantly different is not rejected. The headmasters were recommended for training and re-training in leadership and management.