Influence of Principals’ Sex, Experience and Age on their Choice of Leadership Style in Managing Students’ Indiscipline in Public Secondary Schools in Edo North Senatorial District of Nigeria

This study investigated influence of principals’ sex, experience and age on choice of leadership styles in managing students’ indiscipline in public secondary schools in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria. Four (4) research questions were raised and two (2) of which were not hypothesized but answered while two (2) hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The descriptive study based on survey research design was adopted. A population of 184 principals of public secondary schools in Edo North Senatorial District was studied. The questionnaire used was titled: “Influence of Principals’ Leadership Style on Managing Students’ Indiscipline (IPLSMSI)”. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation and the t-test. The results of the study were that principals in secondary schools in Edo North Senatorial District adopted three leadership styles in managing students’ indiscipline. These included democratic leadership style, autocratic leadership styles and laissez-faire leadership style. The democratic leadership style was the most effective style used by principal in managing students’ indiscipline in Edo North Senatorial District. It was recommended that principals should adopt the democratic style of leadership in managing students’ indiscipline in secondary schools since it was found most effective.