The relationship between school principals' servant leadership behaviours and organizational image according to teachers' perceptions

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between school principals' servant leadership behaviors and organizational image based on teachers' perceptions. A relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the study. As data collection tools, the "Personal Information Form", the "School Principals' Servant Leadership Behavior Scale" developed by Ekinci (2015), and the "Organizational Image Scale" developed by Gürbüz (2008) were used. The study population consisted of teachers working in public and private primary, secondary, and high schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in the city center of Düzce during the 2024–2025 academic year. The sample of the study consisted of 442 teachers determined through cluster sampling method. According to the results of the study, teachers' perceptions of school principals' servant leadership behaviors and organizational image were found to be at a "high" level. When evaluating the demographic variables, no statistically significant differences were found in either the school principals' servant leadership behavior scale or the organizational image scale based on the level of education and length of working at the current school. However; significant differences were observed in servant leadership scale with respect to gender, type of school, professional seniority and educational level taught. Similarly, analyses related to organizational image perceptions did not show significant differences based on the level of education and length of working at the current school; however, significant differences were found in the variables of gender, type of school, professional seniority and educational level taught. As a result of the study, a positive and moderate significant relationship was found between school principals' servant leadership behaviors and organizational image according to teachers' perceptions. As a result of the regression analysis, it was determined that the servant leadership behaviors of school principals significantly predict teachers' perceptions of organizational image, explaining 37.8% of the variance. This result indicates that the servant leadership behaviors exhibited by school principals positively influence teachers' perceptions of the organizational image. Keywords: Leadership, Servant leadership, Image, Organizational image