The effect of paternalistic leadership on organizational identification according to preschool teachers' opinions

ABSTRACT The Effect of Paternalistic Leadership on Organizational Identification According to Preschool Teachers' Opınıons Şeyma EKİCİ Master Thesis FIRAT UNIVERSITY Institute of Educational Science Department of Educational Sciences Division of Educational Administration 2025 P: XVİİ+90 This research aims to investigate the effects of paternalistic leadership styles on organizational identification based on the perceptions of preschool teachers. The study is grounded in the premise that when school administrators who adopt a paternalistic leadership approach actively monitor both the professional and personal aspects of their employees, it fosters a stronger sense of identification within the school culture. The research examines how the core dimensions of paternalistic leadership – moral leadership, benevolent leadership, and authoritarian leadership behaviors – influence teachers' commitment and sense of belonging to their organizations. Furthermore, the study explores the impact of teachers' demographic characteristics such as age, gender, marital status, education level, professional seniority, and tenure at the school on organizational identification. To examine the aforementioned conditions, the relational survey model was employed as the research method. The study population consists of 315 preschool teachers working in the central district of Elazığ province during the 2023-2024 academic year. The research sample comprises 173 teachers, calculated using the formula determined by Salant and Dillman (1994).A three-part data set, comprising the Personal Information Form, the Paternalistic Leadership Behaviors Scale for School Principals, and the Organizational Identification Scale, was utilized for data collection. Within this framework, the Scale of School Administrators' Paternalistic Leadership Behaviors and the Organizational Identification Scale were employed as data collection instruments. These instruments consist of scales measuring both leadership behaviors and levels of organizational identification. The findings of the study revealed that certain dimensions of paternalistic leadership (moral and benevolent leadership) positively influence organizational identification, while the authoritarian leadership dimension can have negative effects. Regarding the sub-dimensions of organizational identification (compliance, identification, and internalization), a positive and significant relationship was found with the benevolent and moral leadership sub-dimensions, whereas a negative and significant relationship was observed with the authoritarian and opportunistic leadership sub-dimensions. When examined in terms of demographic characteristics, paternalistic leadership behavior did not show a significant difference across the variables of gender, marital status, choosing the profession willingly, age group, number of employees at the school, and tenure at the school. Regarding the education level variable, a significant difference was found in the benevolent and moral leadership dimensions according to the opinions of teachers with a master's degree. The analysis of the differentiation of organizational identification scores based on demographic characteristics indicated no significant difference in the variables of gender, marital status, choosing the profession willingly, and the number of teachers at the school. Examining the education level variable revealed a significant difference in the internalization sub-dimension of organizational identification for teachers with a master's degree. Furthermore, the age group variable showed a significant difference in the internalization and compliance sub-dimensions for the 20-30 age group. In general, the research concluded that teachers in schools led by school principals who adopt paternalistic leadership behaviors have higher levels of organizational identification, thus indicating that paternalistic leadership behaviors are effective on organizational identification. In this context, the research provides valuable insights into how leadership styles adopted in educational institutions shape teacher behaviors, commitment levels, and motivations, as well as the differences that exist in terms of demographic characteristics. Additionally, the study contributes to the theoretical foundations of organizational identification and offers guiding suggestions for educational administrators and teachers. Keywords: Paternalistic Leadership, Organizational Identification, Preschool Teachers, Identification, Leadership