Relationships between leadership style and teachers’ organizational commitment in alternative Arab high schools in Israel

Alternative schools are selective in their nature and planned to provide "better" education than the public schools. Since the early 1990s, this model was introduced with the aim of improving the performance of public schools,
and has become the mainstay of contemporary educational reforms. In order for alternative schools to fulfill their potential, however, they must also have effective leadership and high teacher commitment. Leadership style and
teachers’ organizational commitment are related. This study examined the relationships between leadership styles (LS), and teachers’ organizational commitment (TOC) and various demographic variables in 10 alternative Arab high schools in northern Israel. The study sample included 307 teachers. Data was collected using the Multi-Factor Leadership and
Teachers’ Organizational Commitment questionnaires. Factor analysis was used to identify LS and TOC dimensions.
Relationships between TOC and LS and demographic variables were tested in multiple regression models. Factor analysis identified two TOC dimensions (affective commitment and continuous commitment) and two LS dimensions
(transformational leadership and transactional leadership). Affective commitment was positively related to transformational leadership, and negatively related to transactional leadership. Relationships were also found between
affective commitment and marital status, employment status, and level of education. The findings suggest that to improve teachers’ organizational commitment, principals in alternative schools should adopt a transformational
leadership style.