PRINCIPALS’ FAITH-BASED ETHICAL TECHNIQUES AS PREDICTORS OF ADMINISTRATIVE EFFECTIVENESS IN RIVERS STATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between principals’ faith-based ethical techniques and their administrative effectiveness in private secondary schools in Rivers State. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. A correlational survey design was adopted. The population consisted of 672 private senior secondary schools’ principals in Rivers State, from which a sample of 251 was proportionally selected using multistage sampling across 15 Local Government Areas (LGAs). Data used in the study were collected using two validated instruments: The Faith-Based Ethical Techniques Questionnaire (FBETQ) and the Administrative Effectiveness Questionnaire (AEQ), with reliability coefficients of 0.89 and 0.81 respectively. The data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and simple linear regression. Findings revealed that principals’ moral guidance techniques significantly predicted administrative effectiveness (r = .548, p < .001), accounting for 30% of the variance. Similarly, community engagement techniques were also significant predictors (r = .473, p < .001), explaining 22.3% of the variance. The study concluded that faith-based ethical leadership enhances administrative competence and institutional discipline. Based on the findings, this study recommended that moral guidance and community engagement should be deliberately integrated into leadership practices and training programmes to improve school governance and goal attainment.