Is the Principal Leadership Style Related to Teacher Job Satisfaction: The Case of Arab Schools in Israel

Abstract

This article seeks to examine the link between each of the three principal leadership styles (transformative, transactional, and avoiding) and job satisfaction among Arab teachers in Israel. The study pursues quantitative analyses, based on data collected during 2020 from Arab-Israeli teachers via a questionnaire. The study found an expected positive link between the principal transformative style and teachers’ job satisfaction. Regarding the transactional style, when the principal rewards/penalizes a teacher, then that raises/reduces the teacher satisfaction, respectively. Finally, the avoiding leadership style has a negative impact on satisfaction, yet in some cases, teachers may value the freedom of action they enjoy under an avoiding style.