Leadership Style and Teacher Work Commitment: A Quantitative Correlational Study

Abstract

Background: School leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping teacher commitment, as it directly influences motivation, professional engagement, and workplace climate. Leadership style, in particular, determines how school heads guide, support, and inspire teachers. Transformational and innovative leadership styles have been found to positively affect teachers’ organizational commitment, motivation, and work behavior, reinforcing the importance of supportive and development-oriented leadership in educational institutions. Aims: This study examined the relationship between leadership style and teacher work commitment among public junior high school teachers in the Division of Digos City. Specifically, it determined the levels of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership, assessed teachers’ work commitment in terms of affective, continuance, and normative dimensions, and identified the significant relationship and predictive influence of leadership styles on teacher commitment. Study Design:  This study utilized a quantitative, non-experimental correlational research design. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at public junior high schools in Region XI, Philippines during school year 2025-2026. Methodology: A total of 169 teachers were selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ). Statistical tools included mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Results: Findings revealed that transformational leadership was practiced at a very high level (M = 4.31), transactional leadership at a high level (M = 3.97), and laissez-faire leadership at a low level (M = 2.38). Teachers’ work commitment was generally high (M = 4.13), with affective (M = 4.33) and normative (M = 4.20) commitment rated very high, and continuance commitment rated high (M = 3.85). Correlation analysis showed that transformational leadership had a strong positive relationship with teacher commitment (r = 0.68, p < .001), transactional leadership had a moderate positive relationship (r = 0.45, p < .001), and laissez-faire leadership had a weak negative relationship (r = –0.21, p = .012). Regression analysis indicated that leadership styles significantly predicted teacher work commitment (R² = .52), with transformational leadership emerging as the strongest predictor (β = .59, p < .001). Conclusion: Leadership style significantly influences teacher work commitment, with transformational leadership as the most effective approach. Strengthening transformational leadership practices is essential to enhance teacher commitment, retention, and overall school effectiveness.