Digital Leadership and Conflict Management of Principals as Predictors of Teachers’ Productivity in Public Secondary Schools in Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated digital leadership practices and conflict management skills as predictors
of teachers’ productivity in public secondary schools in Osun State, Nigeria. The study employed
a descriptive research design of correlation type. Using a multi-stage stratified random sampling
technique, data were collected from a sample of 436 respondents, comprising 40 principals
and 396 teachers. Data collection instruments included the Principals’ Digital Leadership and
Conflict Management Questionnaire (PDLCMQ) and the Teacher Productivity Rating
Questionnaire (TPRQ), both of which were validated and deemed reliable. Data were analyzed
using mean, standard deviation, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Multiple Regression
Analysis. The study found out that principals demonstrated a moderate level of digital leadership
(M = 3.24), with digital communication emerging as the strongest dimension. Principals
predominantly adopted collaborating, accommodating and compromising styles to resolve
workplace tensions. Teachers’ productivity was rated moderate (M = 3.27) across lesson delivery,
curriculum coverage and punctuality. Both digital leadership and conflict management
significantly and jointly predicted teachers’ productivity (R = 0.507, R2 = 0.257, p < 0.05), with
digital leadership identified as the stronger independent predictor. The study concluded that effective school leadership—both in the digital and relational domains—is a critical determinant
of organizational success. It was recommended that the Ministry of Education should
institutionalize targeted professional development workshops focusing on pedagogical technology
integration and emotional intelligence training to further enhance teacher engagement and sustain
academic excellence in the state.