Gendered School Leadership and Student Academic Outcomes: A Comparative Study of Male and Female School Leaders across Four Administrative Regions of Guyana

Abstract

This quantitative correlational-comparative study examined gendered school leadership and student academic outcomes across four administrative regions of Guyana. The study responded to the need for empirical evidence on whether schools led by male and female leaders differ in dominant leadership styles and whether those styles are associated with student performance. A total of 623 participants from 17 schools participated in the study, comprising 17 school leaders, 136 teachers, and 470 students. Data were collected through an online five-point Likert-scale leadership questionnaire, teacher ratings of leadership practices, and aggregated school-level academic performance records. The leadership dimensions examined were transformational, transactional, democratic, autocratic, and instructional leadership. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple regression. The findings indicated that female-led schools recorded slightly higher mean academic outcome scores than male-led schools, although the effect size was modest. Transformational, democratic, and instructional leadership were positively associated with student academic outcomes, while autocratic leadership showed a weak negative association. Instructional leadership produced the strongest positive relationship with academic outcomes and remained a significant predictor in the regression model. The overall model explained 34% of the variance in students' academic outcomes, with leadership-style variables demonstrating greater explanatory power than leader gender alone. The study concludes that academic performance in the selected Guyanese schools should not be interpreted solely in terms of gender. Rather, student outcomes appear to be more closely linked to observable leadership practices that prioritize instructional supervision, shared vision, teacher support, data-informed planning, accountability, and learner-centered decision-making. The paper recommends leadership development programs that strengthen transformational and instructional leadership competencies among both male and female school leaders in Guyana.