School Leaders’ Leadership Skills, Ethical Values, and Adaptability as Predictors of School Climate: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20849468Keywords:
Adaptability skills, Ethical values, Leadership skills, School climate, Structural Equation Modeling ApproachAbstract
A negative school climate poses a serious challenge in modern education, as it directly hinders teaching, learning, and overall school effectiveness. This study examined school climate by modeling the influence of school leaders’ leadership skills, ethical values, and adaptability using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A quantitative, non-experimental, was employed, involving 400 public school teachers in basic education schools in the Davao Region and randomly selected and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, multiple regression, and SEM. Results showed high ratings for leadership skills, ethical values, adaptability, and school climate, highlighting their role in promoting a positive school environment. Further, significant positive correlations between all independent variables and school climate, with adaptability (.670) and ethical values (.652) having the strongest associations, and leadership skills (.324) showing a moderate influence. Moreover, results showed that leadership skills (β = .090), ethical values (β = .378), and adaptability skills (β = .434) significantly predicted school climate, explaining 56.7% of its variance, with adaptability and ethical values as the strongest predictors. SEM also identified the best-fit model (Model 1), with adaptability and ethical values strongly influencing school climate, while leadership skills had minimal impact. The findings highlight the central role of transformational leadership qualities, including ethical values and adaptability, in shaping a positive and collaborative school climate, with implications for leadership practice, policy development, and future research.
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