Pengetua perlu mengamalkan kepemimpinan yang berkualiti kerana proses kepemimpinan adalah penentu kepada kecemerlangan sekolah. Tujuan umum kajian ini dilakukan adalah untuk menentukan kepemimpinan utama pengetua sekolah menengah di negeri Johor. Objektif khusus kajian adalah untuk menerangkan kepemimpinan utama bersandarkan Model Kepemimpinan Bolman dan Deal (1991) terdiri dari empat gaya kepemimpinan, iaitu kepemimpinan sumber manusia, simbolik, politik dan struktural. Di samping itu, kajian juga cuba menjelaskan sama ada kepemimpinan pengetua mempunyai kesan terhadap komitmen guru terhadap sekolah. Kajian dilaksanakan di 35 buah sekolah menengah di negeri Johor merangkumi Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (bandar dan luar bandar), Sekolah Menengah Teknik, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama, Sekolah Berasrama Penuh dan Sekolah Sukan. Sejumlah 1,705 orang guru dan 34 orang pengetua dipilih melalui persampelan berstrata. Data kajian dianalisis menggunakan statistik deskriptif dan Regresi Berganda. Kajian mendapati kepemimpinan sumber manusia dinilai sebagai gaya kepemimpinan yang paling kerap diamalkan di samping kepemimpinan struktural. Sebaliknya, kepemimpinan politik merupakan gaya kepemimpinan yang paling jarang digunakan. Kajian juga mendapati kepemimpinan pengetua turut memberi kesan kepada komitmen guru terhadap sekolah.
Kata kunci: Pengetua sekolah; kepemimpinan utama; gaya kepemimpinan; model kepemimpinan Bolman dan Deal (1991)
Principals have to perform effective leadership because leadership plays a vital role in school’s excellence. The general aim of this study is to ascertain the leadership styles practised by the principals; specifically, to develop understanding of the various leadership styles based on the Bolman and Deal Four Frames Leadership Model. This model presents four leadership styles: the human resource, structural, political and symbolic. In addition, this study also seeks to understand if principals’ leadership styles have any impact on teachers’ commitment to the schools. Thirty five secondary schools in Johore that were categorized as technical, religious, boarding, urban and rural-located schools and sports school participate in the study. A total of 1,705 teachers and 34 principals were selected through stratified sampling method as respondents for this study. Research data were analysed using descriptive statistic and multiple regressions. The study proves that the human resource style is the most commonly practised by the principals, in contrast to the political style which is the least preferred. This study also shows that principals’ leadership style does have an impact on teachers’ commitment towards the schools.
Key words: School principals; main leadership style; leadership style; Bolman & Deal (1991) leadership model; teachers’ commitment