LEGAL COMPLIANCE, ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND VALUE-BASED DECISION MAKING AS PREDICTORS OF EFFECTIVE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The demand for accountable, transparent and transformative school leadership has become increasingly critical in today's global education landscape. This study examined the extent to which legal compliance, ethical leadership and value-based decision making predict effective school administration in public secondary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria. The study was anchored on Transformational Leadership Theory (Bass, 1985) and Kohlberg’s Theory of MoralDevelopment (1984), which emphasized leadership behaviour grounded in ethical values and integrity. The study adopted a correlational research design. The population of the study comprised all 268 public secondary school principals in Anambra State, Nigeria, across the six education zones. The study adopted a census approach; hence, the entire population of 268 principals was used as the sample. Since all members of the population were included, no sampling technique was applied. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Legal-Ethical-Value Based Administrative Practices Questionnaire (LEVAPQ), validated by experts in educational management and tested for reliability using Cronbach alpha, yielding coefficients ranging from 0.81 to 0.89. Data collected were analyzed using simple linear regression analysis and multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that legal compliance, ethical leadership and value-based decision making are significant positive predictors of effective school administration, with ethical leadership emerging as the strongest predictor. The study concluded that adherence to legal standards, the demonstration of moral integrity and the application of core values in decision-making processes are integral to fostering administrative effectiveness in schools. Based on the findings, the study recommended that principals should strengthen legal compliance by consistently adhering to established educational laws, policies and regulatory guidelines. Ensuring that all administrative practices are legally sound would enhance transparency, uphold due process and reinforce accountability within the school system, thereby promoting effective school administration. The implications of the study underscore the need for a paradigm shift toward principled and law-abiding leadership in public education systems in Nigeria and beyond.