The relationship between school climate and management style of school principals working in preschool education institutions

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between the management style of school principals working in pre-school education institutions and school climate and to examine the relationship between the management style of school principals working in pre-school education institutions and school climate according to various variables. The survey model, which is one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the study. The sample of the study consists of 404 preschool teachers working in kindergartens, primary, secondary and high schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in the 2022-2023 academic year, determined by the convenience sampling method. 'Perceived Principal Management Style Scale' and 'School Climate Questionnaire' were used as data collection tools. In the analysis of the data, 23 package program was used. As a result of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, it was seen that the scores obtained from AMYTÖ and OİA scales did not show normal distribution (p>0.05) and Kruskal Wallis H and Mann Whitney U tests were used in data analysis. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the mean scores of the subscales of the Perceived Principal Management Style Scale (PMMSS) and the mean scores of the subscales of the School Climate Questionnaire (SCQ). According to the results of the study, there is no significant difference between the management styles of school principals working at the pre-school education institutions and the demographic variables of teachers in terms of teachers' age, gender, education institution, the region where they work and the type of institution where they work, while there is a significant difference in teachers' years of experience, place of work and working time with the principal. There is no significant difference between the demographic variables of teachers and the school climate created by school principals working in pre-school education institutions, teachers' gender, educational institution, years of experience, place of employment, and region of employment, while there is a significant difference between teachers' age, type of institution, and years of working with principals. In the relationship between the two scales, it is seen that school principals working in pre-school education institutions who adopt authoritarian, indifferent and confrontational management style sub-dimensions create more directive and restrictive school climate in the school and move away from supportive and sincere school climate. On the other hand, school principals working at pre-school education institutions, who are perceived to adopt collaborative management style, create a more supportive and sincere school climate while distancing themselves from directive and restrictive school climate. In the study, it was observed that there was a high positive relationship between school climate dimensions and management style dimensions. It is of great importance to have a healthy school climate in preschool education institutions where children's development and education will be shaped primarily. With an effective management style, a positive school climate can be created by the principal assuming a leadership role. A flexible and participatory approach to the needs of all components can positively affect school success. Therefore, analyzing the effect of principals' management styles on school climate will provide important clues for educational policies and contribute to the quality of education.