Influence of leadership styles on good governance practices among student leaders in higher education institutions in the Philippines

Despite growing attention to leadership styles in education, limited research has been conducted on how various leadership approaches impact good governance practices within higher education institutions. This study examines the relationship between different leadership styles and the dimensions of good governance practices, such as accountability, participation, the rule of law, and transparency among student leaders in higher education institutions. This study used partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data from 322 student leaders from Central Visayas, Philippines. The findings revealed that democratic, instructional, and laissez-faire leadership styles significantly influence most good governance practices, particularly accountability, participation, and the rule of law. However, democratic leadership styles do not significantly influence transparency, and transformational leadership styles showed no significant influence on participation, the rule of law, and transparency, indicating limited effectiveness in promoting these governance dimensions. The study concludes that flexible yet structured leadership styles foster better governance practices among student leaders. These findings imply that training student leaders in context-sensitive leadership styles could enhance good governance. The limited impact of transformational leadership on good governance practices dimensions suggests a need to reassess its application or integrate it with other leadership styles to improve participation, the rule of law, and transparency in student organizations.