The Perceived Style of Pupil Leadership in Terms of the X/Y Theory in Relation to Slovak Teachers’ Self-Esteem
The Perceived Style of Pupil Leadership in Terms of the X/Y Theory in Relation to Slovak Teachers’ Self-Esteem

Summary/Abstract: Research objective: The study addresses the correlations within the selected leadership model in the educational environment. The goal of the research study was to verify the relationship between the general self-esteem in Slovak teachers and their pupil leadership style in terms of D. McGregor’s theory. In the Slovak cultural environment, antecedent variables pertaining to the X/Y Theory have not yet been studied in the school organisational environment, i.e. where the teachers actually work. Besides teachers’ self-esteem, the study also addresses the concept of leadership and other contextual variables (age, length of teaching practice, school type, managerial experience). Based on the relevant theory and available research stating the existence of connections between the leader’s selfperception and their followers’ perception (Whitney, 1990; Matzler et al., 2015; Ďuricová & Šugereková, 2017), the following hypotheses has been formulated: RH1: A positive correlation between a teacher’s self-esteem and their pupil/student leadership style in terms of the Y Theory. Based on further contextual variables (age, length of teaching practice, school type, managerial experience), the research questions have been formulated as follows: RQ1: Does the teacher’s leadership style correlate with their age in terms of the Y Theory? RQ2: Does the teacher’s leadership style correlate with the length of their teaching practice? RQ3: Is there a difference between leadership styles of primary and high school teachers in terms of the Y Theory? RQ4: Is there a difference between leadership styles of teachers with and without managerial experience? Research method: The method of available selection was used to build the research sample of form teachers working at the secondary level of education (N=142, higher secondary level = 56%, lower secondary level 44%). Two questionnaires were administered to collect data: 1. The RSES/Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Halama & Bieščad, 2006) was used to evaluate the emotional aspect of the self-concept and self-esteem. This one-dimensional scale consists of 10 items and the respondent is asked to express how much they agree on the scale from 1 to 4 (1 – strongly disagree, 4 – strongly agree). The reliability (internal consistency) of the research tool expressed by Cronbach's alpha showed an acceptable level (α=.72). 2. The X/Y Leadership Style Questionnaire was created by merging two original instruments: Theory X/Y Behavior (Kopelman et al., 2010) and Theory X/Y Managerial Assumptions (Kopelman et al., 2012). Items 1–13 focused on leader’s specific behaviours (e.g. Pupils/students need to be constantly checked to ensure that they work as they are supposed to) and items 14–23 express the leader’s assumptions (e.g. Pupils/students naturally like learning). The respondents expressed their agreement on a 5-point scale (1 – strongly agree; 5 – strongly disagree). The total raw score represents the respondent’s Y pupil/student leadership style. The internal consistency of the adapted Slovak version of the instrument as a whole proved very good (α=.86). Research results: Data distribution normality testing (Kolmogorov–Smirnov test) in terms of individual variables showed that the data did not fulfil the requirements of a normal distribution (p = .00), therefore it was necessary to use non-parametric tests. The correlation analysis indicated that the relation between teachers’ self-esteem and their pupil/student leadership style in terms of the Y theory closely correlated and showed statistical significance (.614; p≤.01). The analysis showed a medium close positive statistically significant correlation of the leadership style with the teacher’s age (.406; p ≤ .01) and a slightly weaker correlation with the length of their practice (.288; p ≤ .01). The linear regression analysis showed that out of these three determinants, teachers’ self-esteem predicts their Y-leadership style. This determinant explains approx. 31% of the variability in the teachers’ Y-leadership style. The analysis of the differences showed a statistically significant difference in the Y-leadership style in favour of primary school teachers, which can be explained by their statistically significant higher self-esteem, age, and length of practice in comparison to high school teachers. The second contextual variable showed a statistically significant difference in terms of the Y-leadership style between the two teacher groups in favour of those who had managerial experience in comparison to those who did not. Conclusion: The study has confirmed the assumed positive correlation between teachers’ general self-esteem and pupil/student leadership style in terms of the Y Theory. This result is consistent with other research results (e.g. Whitney, 1990; Matzler et al., 2015; Ďuricová & Šugereková, 2017), thus confirming the importance of leaders’ positive self-esteem. The results can be interpreted as follows: as the teacher-leader’s self-esteem increases, so does the probability that they lead the pupils/students using the Y Theory, which is based on faith in the pupil/student’s abilities, character, and motivation. The regression analysis has also confirmed that teachers’ selfesteem predicts whether they apply the Y-leadership style or not. Correlation and comparative analyses outlined a broader context of this leadership style in the teaching practice. It seems that the teacher’s age and length of teaching practice indirectly promote the Y-leadership style in relation to their pupils/students, and they both positively correlate with the teacher’s self-esteem. This finding is consistent with Kale and Ӧzdelen’s study (2014), which states that with a growing length of practice, primary school teachers develop a more democratic and participating leadership style – as described by the Y Theory. Therefore, it can be assumed that increasing age, maturity, and expertise allow the teacher to improve their self-esteem and leads their pupils/students toward the same philosophy. The influence of the school type on the Y-leadership style is merely a secondary consequence of the fact that in this testing, older and more experienced teachers worked at primary schools, which also reflected in their higher self-esteem in comparison with their high school colleagues. As for managerial experience (higher positions in school management), it seems that teachers who possess it may be able to effectively use the related skills in student/pupil leadership, i.e. direct teaching activity. Despite the limits of this research study (size and selection of the research sample, using self-assessment scales), it can contribute to the research of professional teaching skills. To increase the validity of measuring leadership style, it would be useful to collect feedback also from the pupils/students.

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