The relationship between the leadership styles of school administrators working in the project school and the ostracism levels of teachers

The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between the leadership styles of school administrators in project schools and the levels of perceived workplace ostracism among teachers. The research adopts a quantitative research method within a correlational survey model. The data collection instruments utilized include the "Workplace Ostracism Scale," developed by Ferris, Brown, Berry, and Lian (2008) and adapted into Turkish by Kurum and Erdemli (2022), along with the "School Administrators' Leadership Styles Scale" developed by Akan, Yıldırım, and Yalçın (2014). Research data were obtained by administering these scales to teachers working in project schools in Gaziantep city center and districts. To determine the sample size, the total number of teachers in the population was initially assessed. According to the Gaziantep Provincial Directorate of National Education Statistics Branch data for the academic year 2022-2023, the number of teachers in project schools in Gaziantep city center (Şehitkâmil 738; Şahinbey 704) is 1442, and in the districts with 10 project schools (İslahiye 167; Nizip 314; Nurdağı 42), it is 523. The total number of teachers in project schools in Gaziantep is 1965, and it is assumed that a sample of 443 teachers can represent this population at a significance level of α = .05. The "Simple Random Sampling" method was employed for sample selection. Data analysis was conducted using the SPSS program. Frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviation values were calculated for the responses to the questions. The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient test was performed to examine the relationship between teachers' perceptions of their administrators' leadership styles and workplace ostracism. The t-test was used to determine whether there were significant differences in teachers' views on leadership style and ostracism levels based on gender, educational status, and settlement type. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to investigate significant differences based on variables such as subject, seniority, and the duration of current school tenure. Additionally, post-hoc tests were conducted for results showing significant differences. The analysis results were tabulated and interpreted in accordance with the research objectives. The study's findings indicate a significant relationship between school administrators' leadership styles and workplace ostracism. When administrators exhibit Empowering and Transformational Leadership styles, teachers feel less ostracized or not ostracized, while in the presence of administrators displaying Sustaining Leadership style, teachers perceive themselves as more ostracized compared to other leadership types. Other findings of the study explored the impact of independent variables when investigating the relationship between school administrators' leadership styles and workplace ostracism. No significant differences were observed based on gender, age, and educational level. However, teachers in numerical subject areas and those with professional seniority between 11-15 years felt more ostracized. Teachers in districts encountered administrators who adopted Sustaining Leadership style more frequently compared to those in the city center. In light of the research results, further studies could be conducted to gain more in-depth insights into the leadership styles of school administrators and workplace ostracism. The study's sample, initially limited to Gaziantep province, could be expanded to include other provinces for broader generalizability.