Match and Mismatch Between Actual and Perceived Leadership Styles of Public Elementary School Administrators

The main purpose of this study is to determine the match and mismatch between actual leadership style of elementary school administrators as observed by the teachers and leadership style of school administrators as perceived by themselves in the District of Calatrava II during the school year 2013-2014. The respondents were the 21 elementary school administrators and 256 teachers in District of Calatrava II in the Division of negros Occidental. The descriptive method of research was used by the researcher. Statistical analysis of the data which requires the use of frequency and percent, and chi-square were used in the study. Part I of the research was about the school administrators’ demographic profile; Part II was the leadership Style Survey which consisted of 30-item scoring test developed by Donald Clark in 1998 and updated in 2007. The research instrument contains statements about leadership style beliefs of the school administrators namely: authoritarian style (autocratic), participative style (democratic), and delegative style (free reign). The findings reveal that there is match in the leadership style of the public elementary school administrators and teachers as perceived and observed by them respectively. Both respondents agreed that the leadership style displayed by the school administrative is participative or democratic. This is the kind of leadership adhered to school administrators who listen to the team’s ideas and studies them, but will make a final decision. Since the shortcoming of this leadership style is difficulty when decisions are needed in a short period of time or at the moment, it is recommend that the administrators must always be ready with contingency plans that may lead to a wise decision in solving urgent problems. He must also have a trusted pool of team workers who can help and guide him in his decision-making.