Exploring leadership styles and their influence on academic disparities: a comparative study in high and underperforming public secondary schools Lusaka district, Zambia.
The coexistence of underperforming and high-performing public secondary schools raises critical questions about the factors contributing to the persistent academic performance gap, particularly the role of leadership styles in shaping academic outcomes. Despite various interventions by the government of Zambia to address educational disparities, these gaps continue to persist, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of the leadership factors at play. Moreover, a significant research gap remains in exploring the mechanisms through which leadership practices influence academic disparities, especially in terms of school climate, teacher motivation, and student engagement, which are vital for improving academic outcomes. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the relationship between leadership styles and academic disparities in Lusaka District, Zambia, with a focus on their influence on academic performance. The study was guided by three objectives: To establish the main leadership styles used by the headteachers in selected high-performing and underperforming public secondary schools, determine the contribution of leadership practices toward the academic disparities between high performing and underperforming public schools, and identify potential areas for improvement in leadership practices within underperforming public secondary schools in Lusaka District, Zambia. Employing a mixed-methods approach, quantitative data was collected through standardised semi structured questionnaires administered to 80 teachers and 200 students, sampled through systematic random sampling. While, qualitative data complemented the quantitative data, including interviews with 8 headteachers and 8 deputy headteachers obtained by purposive sampling. The data obtained by the qualitative method of data collection were coded by a thematic approach, then categorised, tabulated, and arranged under themes and subthemes whereas the quantitative data were analysed using using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27 (SPSS Inc., Chicago IL). The thematic analysis of the study data revealed key themes related to leadership styles and their influence on academic disparities, including main leadership styles attributed by the headteachers in high-performing and underperforming public secondary schools, contribution of leadership practices toward the academic disparities, and potential areas for improvements in leadership practices within underperforming public schools. The findings revealed that headteachers in these schools employed different leadership styles, including instructional, democratic, servant, situational, and authoritative leadership. However, the leadership styles used varied between high performing and underperforming public secondary schools, influencing leadership practices and academic performance. The study further revealed that leadership practices played a crucial role in either mitigating or exacerbating academic disparities. High-performing public secondary schools demonstrated strong leadership practices, including effective communication of vision and strategic plans, inclusive decision-making, delegation of tasks, instructional support and professional development, and efficient resource management. In contrast, underperforming schools struggled with weak leadership practices, limiting collaboration, teacher engagement, and student support. Additionally, handling academic disparities was a major focus, with interventions such as remedial programs, guidance and counseling, and extracurricular activities were effectively implemented in high-performing public secondary schools while, headteachers in underperforming schools struggled to implement these interventions effectively due to leadership challenges. Their efforts were often hindered by resistance to change, the nature of students, and over-enrollment, further widening academic disparities. It could be concluded that leadership practices employed by headteachers in public secondary schools contribute to academic disparities. In high-performing schools, headteachers demonstrated leadership practices that fostered teacher development, collaboration, and adaptability, resulting in improved academic outcomes. In contrast, underperforming schools were characterised by rigid, autocratic leadership, which hindered teacher engagement, innovation, and student support, ultimately contributing to ongoing academic challenges. It was recommended that leadership’s knowledge and leadership practice should be closely integrated to mitigate academic disparities in public schools effectively. Furthermore, gender roles in leadership and their impacts on academic disparities should be assessed by comparing high-performing and underperforming public schools.
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