Paradoxical effects of principals’ leadership styles on school performance in government secondary schools in Wolaita Zone South Ethiopia

Abstract Effective leadership is widely recognized as a critical factor influencing school performance, yet the impact of principals’ leadership styles can be paradoxical, producing both positive and negligible effects on student outcomes. In government secondary schools, principals employ a range of leadership approaches, including transformational and transactional styles, which may differently shape academic achievement, teacher engagement, and overall school effectiveness. This study aimed to examine how the leadership style of principals impacts the performance of government secondary schools in Southern Ethiopia. Applying different research techniques, 384 randomly selected teachers and 31 vice-principals were surveyed, along with 14 principals and 7 supervisors who were purposely chosen. Through mixed study design the data were collected from 384 randomly selected teachers and 31 vice-principals through surveys, while 14 principals and 7 supervisors were purposively selected for in-depth interviews. The research shows that principals use transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership (LFL) to a moderate extent. Regarding transformational leadership, three areas–individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, and idealized influence showed a weak link with school performance. Transactional leadership was also weakly connected to contingent rewards and passive management by exception (MBEP). LFL was positively and moderately linked to student’s school performance. This might be due to a resource-constrained and bureaucratically rigid school environments, reduced principal interference can grant teachers greater autonomy, flexibility, and space for innovation, which in turn enhances performance. The regression results suggest that LFL was the top contributor to good school performance, ahead of intellectual stimulation. Despite what might be expected, idealized influence was found to be negatively related to school performance. They question typical leadership theories by challenging the success of limited and focused leadership in schools and the role of idealized influence in them. The study concludes that distributed and transformational leadership practices can positively influence school performance. Overall, it demonstrates the need for adaptive hybrid leadership styles that are authentic to local contexts, and the study has implications for policy, leader preparation, and school resource management throughout the world in impoverished experiences.