This study examined how transformational leadership can foster positive cultural change in Eswatini High School by addressing persistent challenges such as rigid administrative structures, teacher burnout, poor student attendance, and disengaged learning environments. It explored how this leadership style can reshape school culture in Eswatini’s unique socio-cultural and economic environment. The study was guided by Bakker and Demerouti's (2006) Job Demands Resources (JD-R) model. The model provided a structured lens to analyse how school leaders balance job demands and available resources to enhance motivation, culture, and educational outcomes. Thematic analysis, a robust method that integrates data, uncovers insights, and formulates patterns and trends, was employed to analyse the collected data, to unearth key leadership practices that contribute to a thriving school environment ensuring the study's rigor and originality. The qualitative study involved interviews with five principals, five deputy principals, fifteen teachers, and fifteen students from five High Schools in Mbabane cluster Eswatini. The study underscores that educational reform is a pressing need, and transformational leadership is a crucial tool that can be used to address this issue. It concluded that when schools adopt transformational leadership practices, they enhance their chance of creating a collaborative community environment where teaching and learning thrive. The potential for positive change through transformational leadership is not just significant but inspiring, offering a beacon of hope for the future of education in Eswatini.
transformational leadership, culture, principals, school
Naboth Mudavanhu Phebeni. Corresponding author. University of Kwazulu Natal, Durban South Africa. PhD in leadership and Educational Management. Email: nabothphebeni2@gmail.com
Phumuzani Mpofu. PhD, Post Doc, The University of Witwatersrand School of Human and Community Development. Department of Psychology. Email: mpofup89@gmail.com
"All authors equally contributed to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript."
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
This work was not supported by any funding.
This study was conducted under the ethical guidelines set by the University of KwaZulu Natal South Africa. The conduct of this study has been approved and given relative clearance(s) by the University of KwaZulu Natal and the Eswatini Ministry of Education and Training.
AI tools were not used in writing this paper.
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Cite this article:
Phebeni, N.M. & Mpofu, P. (2025). The role of transformational leadership in promoting cultural change in Eswatini High Schools. International Journal of Educational Management and Development Studies, 6(1), 184-207. https://doi.org/10.53378/ijemds.353162
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