Students’ Perceptions of University Instructors’ Leadership Styles in Ethiopia’s Amhara Region: Prevalence, Dominance, and the Case for an Integrated Approach

Ethiopian higher education has grown rapidly, significantly expanding access while posing serious challenges to learning, such as congested classrooms and demanding teaching assignments. This study examined how third-year students at four public universities in the Amhara Region perceived the leadership styles of their instructors. In 2024, data were gathered from 321 students using a modified version of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X). Transformational leadership (M = 3.60, SD = 0.59) and transactional leadership (M = 3.73, SD = 0.52) are both evident, according to the findings, with transactional behaviors being rated slightly higher (paired-samples t = -4.97, p < .001). Instructors usually integrate the two approaches, which indicates a significant positive correlation (r = .68, p < .001). The results advocate for faculty development initiatives that strengthen transformational components of the current transactional framework and support an integrated leadership model appropriate for environments with limited resources. This study contributes to the expanding body of research on contextualized educational leadership in developing countries and offers the first comprehensive evidence from student perceptions on classroom leadership styles in Ethiopia’s Amhara Region.