Leadership Through Influence: A Quantitative Inquiry on School Principals’ Tactics And Teachers’ Perceptions

Özdemir M.

Sinop Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, vol.10, no.1, pp.136-158, 2026 (TRDizin)

Abstract

This study aims to determine teachers’ opinions on the influence tactics used by school principals. Employing a survey design, data were collected from 514 teachers working in public schools in the metropolitan city center of Eskişehir during the 2024–2025 academic year. Using simple random sampling, the research data were obtained through the Influence Behavior Questionnaire developed by Yukl et al. (2008) and adapted to Turkish by Gözü (2012). Parametric analyses were conducted after confirming the normal distribution. Descriptive statistics as well as tests of differences and relationships were performed during the data analysis process. The findings indicate that school principals rarely use hard tactics, occasionally use soft tactics, and tend to rely more on rational tactics. Furthermore, teachers’ perceptions regarding principals’ influence tactics differed significantly based on the gender of both parties and the duration of working in the same school and with the same principal. Another prominent result of the study is the existence of strong correlations among influence tactics. The results suggest that training programs for school principals should place greater emphasis on rational and collaborative influence tactics, and that gender and tenure dynamics should be considered in leadership development and policy design.