The Relationship between School Leadership Practices and Student Wellbeing in Secondary Schools of Trashiyangtse Dzongkhag

Abstract

This study examined school leadership practices and student wellbeing and assessed the relationship between students’ perceptions of leadership and their wellbeing in secondary schools of Trashiyangtse Dzongkhag. A quantitative, cross-sectional correlational design was employed across six secondary schools. The final sample comprised 11 school leaders, 100 teachers, and 215 students. Structured five-point Likert-scale questionnaires assessed four dimensions of school leadership and four dimensions of student wellbeing. Internal consistency coefficients ranged from .873 to .983. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise leadership practices and wellbeing, while Pearson’s product-moment correlation examined their association. School leaders reported leadership means ranging from 4.42 to 4.65, teachers from 4.17 to 4.39, and students from 4.18 to 4.24. Students also reported generally positive wellbeing, with mean scores ranging from 4.07 to 4.19 across psychological, social, physical, and cognitive dimensions. Students’ perceptions of overall leadership practices were strongly and positively associated with wellbeing, r(211) = .810, P < .001. All four leadership dimensions were significantly related to wellbeing, with correlations ranging from .702 to .785. The findings indicate that organisational, relational, instructional, and direction-setting conditions are associated with students’ wellbeing in the participating schools. Because the study was cross-sectional and correlational, the results should be interpreted as evidence of association rather than causation.