“Anyone who wants to be first, must be the very last, and the servant of all” Mk 9:35 : a dissertation using a quantitative approach to study the perceptions of servant leadership and its impact on the community in a Maltese church school

Abstract

The educational leadership paradigm has been through numerous shifts over the years especially when schools have been ever more challenged by external environment factors and educational reforms. With these mounting pressures, schools have had to change their management strategies. Autocratic leadership styles are now simply not enough to cater for the complex intricacies of leading a community of professionals. The growing awareness of the educational professional being seen as, first and foremost, a person and individual has increased the popularity of the servant leadership theory. This study focused on the facets of servant leadership and its suitability for Catholic Church schools in Malta. Through a mixed-methods research approach it sought to understand the stakeholders’ perceptions within a Maltese Church school. A convenience sample was used for the quantitative phase whilst a representative sample of six semi-structured interviews was used for the qualitative phase. The data collected from both phases was analysed and interpreted looking for correlations and variances with the aim of answering the three research questions which led this study. The research could serve as an insight to how servant leadership is being currently practised whilst providing recommendations for the continuation of effective leadership change within other school communities in Malta.