Uncertainty Management among School Administrators and Its Relationship with Proactive Behaviour: Evidence from Public Schools

This study examines school administrators’ uncertainty management and its relationship with proactive behaviour in public schools. Using a predictive correlational design, data were collected from 368 principals and vice principals working in public primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary schools in Ankara, Türkiye. The Uncertainty Management Scale and the Proactive Manager Scale were used, and the data were analysed through descriptive statistics, group comparisons, Pearson correlation, and stepwise multiple regression. The findings showed that administrators reported relatively high levels of uncertainty management, although their tolerance for uncertainty was moderate. Uncertainty management did not differ significantly by gender, educational status, school type, or managerial seniority, whereas principals reported significantly higher levels than vice principals. Proactive behaviour was positively and significantly associated with uncertainty management and emerged as its strongest predictor. Administrative position also made a significant contribution to the predictive model. The study contributes to educational leadership literature by conceptualising proactive behaviour as an adaptive leadership resource through which school administrators may navigate uncertainty within centralised and policy-intensive educational systems.