SCHOOL MANAGEMENT IN EARLY EARLY EDUCATION: LEADERSHIP STYLES AND ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Abstract

The objective of this research was to understand the leadership style of early childhood education school directors and its influence on the school's organizational climate. To meet the proposed objective, a qualitative cross-sectional research was carried out, using the semi-structured interview as the primary data production instrument. The interviews were carried out with 12 directors who are currently working in the Municipal Early Childhood Education Centers in the municipality of Serra, Espírito Santo, in the year 2023. The data was analyzed using content analysis and categorized using the inductive process. The results showed that the principals recognize their responsibility for the teaching unit and adopt the styles of transformational leadership, instructional leadership and autocratic leadership. The transformational and instructional styles showed a positive influence on the climate. Although the literature lists the autocratic style as having an unfavorable impact on the climate, it proved to be important for the functioning and organization of the school unit. This study contributed in a theoretical way to the literature on leadership and organizational climate focused on education, specifically to the performance of school directors, who are mainly responsible for teaching units. In a practical way, we sought to present possibilities for developing actions to improve the leadership practices of school directors, in order to articulate an organizational climate favorable to organizational performance.