Decision-Making Styles of School Officers and Their Impact on Teacher Collaboration in Elementary Schools

In elementary schools, the decision-making styles of school officers play a vital role in shaping the school climate and influencing teachers’ professional behaviors. These styles range from autocratic to consultative, group-based, and delegative approaches, each reflecting distinct leadership philosophies. Closely associated with these leadership practices is teacher collaboration, which involves shared efforts in instructional planning, classroom management, professional development, and participation in school decisions. Understanding how decision-making styles relate to teacher collaboration is essential in promoting effective leadership and teamwork in elementary education. This study employed a descriptive–correlational research design and was conducted in public elementary schools in Baliguian District, Division of Zamboanga del Norte. The respondents consisted of 120 elementary school teachers representing all public elementary schools in the district. Data were gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire with two parts: decision-making styles of school officers (autocratic, consultative–individual, consultative–group, group-based, and delegative) and the level of teacher collaboration (instructional planning, classroom management, professional development, and decision-making participation). Responses were measured using a five-point Likert scale. Data analysis utilized arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. Findings revealed that group-based and consultative (group) decision-making styles were rated high, while autocratic and consultative (individual) styles were rated low. Teacher collaboration was generally high, particularly in decision-making participation and professional development, though instructional planning was rated low. Correlation analysis showed a very weak and non-significant relationship between decision-making styles and teacher collaboration (r = 0.035, p = 0.701). The results indicate that variations in school officers’ decision-making styles did not significantly influence teacher collaboration, suggesting that collaborative practices among teachers may be sustained by factors beyond leadership style alone.