Ethical Leadership of School Heads in Relation to Organizational Commitment and School Climate

Abstract

This study examined the level of ethical leadership in relation to teachers’ organizational commitment and school climate in the 5th Congressional District of Iloilo for School Year 2025–2026.  A descriptive-correlational research design was employed. The respondents were the public elementary school teachers selected through stratified random sampling.  A validated researcher-adapted questionnaire was used, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as Pearson-r correlation, and multiple regression analysis.  Findings revealed that ethical leadership was perceived at a high level, indicating that fairness, integrity, accountability, and care were evident but still need strengthening.  Teachers’ organizational commitment was also at a high level, suggesting moderate emotional attachment, perceived costs of staying, and moral obligation.  School climate was rated as middle high, indicating a generally positive and supportive school environment.  Results indicated that ethical leadership, organizational commitment, and school climate were significantly and positively related, meaning stronger ethical leadership corresponds to higher teacher commitment and a better school climate.  Ethical leadership also significantly predicted both outcomes: care and integrity were the strongest predictors of organizational commitment, while fairness and accountability were most influential in school climate.  Overall, ethical leadership was moderately practiced but needs further strengthening. The study recommends enhancing ethical leadership among school heads, implementing DepEd leadership development programs, and exploring related variables such as job satisfaction and teacher performance.