Abstract:
The aim of this study was to compare the dominant leadership styles in private and
government secondary schools in Jigjiga city administration. One hundred (100) teachers
through simple random sampling and forty two (42) school leaders through purposive
sampling were selected from each sector of secondary schools in Jigjiga city administration.
The study employed descriptive survey design. The study used closed ended questionnaire to
collect data from school leaders and teachers of both sector. Frequency, percentage, mean
score and t-test were used to analyze the data. The finding of the study revealed that
autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire leadership styles are being practiced collectively at a
similar level in private secondary schools while laissez-faire leadership style is the most
practiced when compared to the autocratic and democratic leadership style in government
secondary schools. Based on the study, there was no significant difference in autocratic,
laissez faire and democratic leadership styles in public and private secondary schools while
autocratic leadership style is the most preferred leadership style by the follower’s in the
government secondary schools and democratic and laissez faire leadership styles were the
most preferred leadership styles by the followers in the private secondary schools. Based on
the findings it was recommended that principals of private secondary schools should
strengthen the mixture of the three leadership styles and the principals of government
secondary school should not stick to a specific leadership style. It was concluded that an
autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire leadership style was equally practiced by the private
secondary school leaders while laissez-faire leadership style is the most dominant leadership
style practiced by school leaders of the government secondary schools. Teachers of
government secondary schools believed that their leaders mostly practiced
laissez faire and autocratic leadership style, while democratic leadership style is
fairly practiced, teachers of private secondary schools believed that their leaders
fairly practiced autocratic, democratic and laissez faire leadership style at
similar. It’s recommended that school leaders should practice democratic
leadership style up to the satisfaction of teachers and school leaders of private
secondary schools should keep on practicing a mixture of all the leadership
styles as a good leader is characterized by mixing all the leadership
