ABSTRACT
This study explored the relationship between school heads’ leadership styles and teacher morale among public secondary school teachers in Santa Cruz, Marinduque. Using a quantitative descriptive–correlational design, data were gathered from 98 licensed teachers across seven public secondary schools through a structured survey assessing perceived leadership styles and teacher morale.
Findings revealed that transformational leadership was the most commonly perceived leadership style, followed by transactional and laissez-faire approaches. Overall, teacher morale was found to be high, with motivation rated very high, while job satisfaction and workplace well-being were both at high levels. Significant differences in selected dimensions of teacher morale were noted when respondents were grouped according to age, sex, and teaching position.
Further analysis showed that leadership styles were significantly related to motivation, job satisfaction, and overall teacher morale, although no significant relationship was found with workplace well-being when analyzed categorically. Correlational results indicated that leadership had the strongest association with job satisfaction, followed by workplace well-being and motivation. Among the leadership styles, transformational leadership emerged as the most strongly associated with higher levels of teacher morale.
Based on these findings, the study proposes strategies aligned with the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PPSSH), focusing on strengthening participative leadership practices, maintaining a balance between accountability and recognition, minimizing laissez-faire tendencies, and promoting teacher well-being.
Keywords: leadership styles; transformational leadership; teacher morale; job satisfaction; workplace well-being
INTRODUCTION
Effective school leadership has consistently been recognized as a major condition for sustaining teachers’ professional commitment and strengthening the organizational climate in which teaching and learning take place. In secondary schools, teachers work within demanding instructional contexts shaped by complex curricula, large and diverse classes, accountability expectations, and extensive administrative requirements. These conditions make leadership practices highly consequential: when school heads provide clear direction, fair support systems, and meaningful opportunities for teacher participation, teachers are more likely to experience stronger motivation, more positive professional attitudes, and greater capacity to remain engaged in their work (Leithwood et al., 2020; OECD, 2020). Conversely, persistent work strain and low levels of perceived organizational support are associated with poorer staff well-being and increased intentions to leave, underscoring the importance of leadership that actively protects teachers’ psychological resources (Education Support, 2021; Dreer, 2023).
In this study, teacher morale refers to several factors, including teachers’ enthusiasm for their work, their sense of fulfillment and satisfaction in the profession, and their ability to stay engaged even when work is challenging. Recent research shows that morale is closely tied to teachers’ mental health and to how they view their work environment, especially whether it helps them meet both professional and personal needs (Pressley et al., 2023). Teacher well-being is also closely related to morale and is now seen as essential for keeping teachers in the profession, building strong teacher–student relationships, and supporting effective teaching (Dreer, 2023). Professional development is another key part of teacher growth and school improvement, especially when schools encourage a culture of learning and provide teachers with feedback., collaboration opportunities, and leadership support for professional learning (OECD, 2020).
Leadership influences these outcomes through distinct patterns of practice commonly described as leadership “styles.” Transformational leadership emphasizes vision, professional modeling, and individualized consideration; participatory or democratic leadership emphasizes teacher voice, shared decision-making, and collegial trust; transactional leadership emphasizes performance monitoring and contingent rewards; and laissez-faire leadership reflects minimal guidance and delayed or absent support. Recent evidence indicates that transformational and participatory leadership approaches are generally associated with stronger staff motivation and more positive school culture, whereas disengaged or hands-off leadership patterns are linked to a weaker professional climate and poorer staff outcomes (Wilson Heenan et al., 2023). The Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) theory provided a useful lens for interpreting these relationships. JD–R theory explains how demanding work conditions (e.g., workload, time pressure, emotional demands) can lead to strain when resources are inadequate, while supportive resources (e.g., autonomy, recognition, feedback, and supportive supervision) can buffer demands and strengthen motivation and engagement (Bakker et al., 2023). Meta-analytic evidence also supports the central role of resources in strengthening engagement and positive work outcomes, highlighting how organizational supports are closely tied to satisfaction and commitment (Mazzetti et al., 2023). Applied to schools, this framework suggests that leadership matters not only because it sets direction, but because it shapes the everyday resources teachers experience—resources that can protect well-being and sustain morale.
Within the Philippine education system, leadership expectations for school heads are guided by the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PPSSH), which emphasize instructional leadership, learning environment management, human resource development, and community linkages—domains directly connected to teacher support and professional growth (Department of Education, 2020). Complementary initiatives that strengthen school governance and stakeholder participation remain central to practice, including DepEd’s revised School-Based Management (SBM) Guidelines and partnership programs such as Brigada Eskwela, which institutionalize community involvement and collaborative support for schools (Department of Education, 2024; Department of Education, 2022). While these frameworks provide national direction, the ways leadership is experienced by teachers can vary substantially by context, particularly in rural divisions where resource variability and local constraints shape daily school operations. In Santa Cruz, Marinduque, a rural setting characterized by differing school capacities and community conditions, understanding how leadership styles relate to teacher morale, well-being, and professional development was particularly important.
In addition, recent syntheses in the teacher well-being literature indicate that the evidence is not evenly spread across regions, with fewer studies coming from many parts of Asia and other underrepresented contexts. This highlights the importance of research localized to actual school realities (Dreer, 2023). This study was conducted to determine the secondary teachers’ perception in Santa Cruz, Marinduque on the leadership styles of school heads and to determine the relationship between the perception of teachers on the leadership styles of school heads and teacher’s morale, teacher’s wellbeing and teacher’s professional development. The results were designed to produce standards-aligned, context-responsive insights that can strengthen teacher support networks and leadership practices.
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