RUAHA CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY

The study explored the driving forces that stimulate the adoption of leadership styles by top management in private secondary schools in Tanzania. The researcher was interested in conducting this study due to the variation in terms of private secondary schools‟ academic performance in the national examinations and ability of retaining qualified teachers. The study was guided by pragmatism philosophical paradigm and employed a mixed research approach adopting concurrent triangulation research design. The sample comprised teachers, heads of school, district education officer and quality assurance officer. The findings revealed that the driving forces that stimulated the adoption of leadership style were creation and nurturing good working environment to workers, enhancing interpersonal relationship, recognition and appreciation on the good performances of workers, enhancement of equality, job security and workers retention, readiness to learn and maintenance of the good status of the schools. The study concluded that the improvement of school working environment and empowering teachers and other workers raised the job satisfaction and retention of workers consequently enhancing job performance. The study recommends that all private secondary schools should create and develop a good school environment that enable smooth operationalization and provision of quality education.

Leadership Styles, School Administrators and Private Secondary Schools.