THE INFLUENCE OF LEGAL COMPLIANCE, ETHICAL LEADERSHIP, AND CORE INSTITUTIONAL VALUES ON SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION EFFECTIVENESS IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

The study examinedthe influence of legal compliance, ethical leadership, and core institutional values on school administration effectiveness in public universities in Rivers State. The study adopted a descriptive survey design, with a sample of 384 teaching and non-teaching staff selected through stratified and proportionate random sampling from three public universities. A structured questionnaire, validated by experts was used for data collection and tested for reliability using Cronbach’s Alpha and the coefficients ranged from 0.83 to 0.89. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression. The results revealed that legal compliance, ethical leadership, and institutional values each had significant positive relationships with administrative effectiveness (p < 0.05). Ethical leadership emerged as the strongest predictor followed by legal compliance and core values. The three variables jointly accounted for 41% of the variance in administrative effectiveness. The study concluded that legal adherence, moral leadership, and shared institutional culture are critical to improving university governance. It recommended strengthening compliance systems, embedding ethical leadership in selection and training, and institutionalizing core values in administrative practices. The findings underscore the need for holistic governance reforms that integrate legal, ethical, and cultural dimensions to enhance public university administration.