Perceived Servant Leadership Style of Principals Correlates with Job Satisfaction of Secondary School Teachers in Pakistan

Servant leadership is a type of leadership that encourages people to work together. A leader intends to help the institution’s personnel favorably. The school leader interacts with teachers and administrative staff as a collegial friend rather than a boss and tries to make things as easy as possible for them. The major goal of this study was to see if there was a correlation between servant leadership and job satisfaction among secondary school teachers in Pakistani settings. The study’s participants were male and female public sector secondary school teachers from the districts of Lahore and Kasur, of Punjab province, Pakistan. The sample was chosen using a stratified random sampling technique. A total of 510 teachers participated in the study as a sample. In this study, adapted questionnaires with responses measured on a five-point Likert type scale was used. Both variables, perceived servant leadership style of principals and work satisfaction of teachers showed a strong association. Further sub-factors correlations showed significant results. It is proposed that school principals adopt a servant leadership style as it would be more beneficial for them to ease and comfort the school employees that might improve the institutional performance.

very organization is supported by concrete pillars. If the foundation of a building is sturdy, the structure will be protected against earthquakes and other natural disasters. Leadership is also at the heart of educational institutions. In any educational institution, leadership is one of the most important cornerstones. There are various causes for Pakistan's developing educational system, but the most essential problems are the country's lack of organizational infrastructure and leadership skills. At the school level, incompetent and unprofessional administrators are involved that aggravates the existing poor performance of schools. According to reports, political considerations are factored into the appointment of educational institute heads; whereas, only talented and professional teachers and leaders can improve the learning environment in the academic system (Iqbal, 2012).
In an educational system, leadership serves as a soul of a body. Over time, leadership has evolved into a fundamental requirement of the educational system. Every institution needs capable leaders who can foster a positive atmosphere in which students can achieve tremendous accomplishments. Leadership is such a crucial aspect in institutions. Each institution's principal is expected to be a great leader. As a result, it is the responsibility of the principal to operate educational institutions in such a way that teachers development, students' behavior and personalities are groomed and favorable outcomes are achieved. For their educational institution, a principle is a representation of values and ethics (Dunklee, 2000). Raza (2010) claimed that each academic institution has its distinct atmosphere. In any atmosphere communication plays a vital role; a communication gap between teachers and principals proves to be a major hindrance in the growth of the institution, but, if this communication relationship is strong, it will go a long way toward fostering a pleasant environment in the institution. Such a healthy environment will influence not only the individual's lifestyle but also job satisfaction and group work performance.
Servant leadership is defined by qualities such as humility, enthusiasm, honesty, great communication skills, long-term work ethics, and prosperity for the people that set it apart from others (Smith, 2005). It can be defined in a variety of ways. For example, a servant leader prioritizes his personnel and institutional goals. He is a firm believer in equality, high-quality work, and morals (Patterson, 2003). Servant leaders are driven to succeed. They solely labor for the benefit of others. "To be a servant leader, one must consider the group's collective goals rather than one's own" (Ebener & O'Connell, 2010, p.319). Being a servant leader can have both positive and negative effects on the organizational culture, with positive effects outnumbering negative effects.
Only that leadership style is ideal for schools that want to please their staff and colleagues (Bitterstaff, 2012). The authority and power of an individual worker have a beneficial impact on employees and lead to job happiness (Bolger & Nir, 2012). As a result, it is assumed that a certain servant leadership technique is a greater source of teacher satisfaction. The core concept of servant leadership is to serve the people who follow you (Grisaffe et al., 2016;Spears, 2005;Yasir & Mohamad, 2016). As a result, personal development, subordinate empowerment, and putting others' interests ahead of your own are all traits of servant leadership. It is a practical leadership concept, according to Jaramillo et al. (2015) that promotes service, cooperation, teamwork, readiness to listen to others, trust, and positive thinking.
According to Alonderiene and Majauskaite (2016), servant leadership has a positive impact on job pleasure. It was also discovered that leadership behaviour had a beneficial impact on the job satisfaction of faculty, and there is more research be done in different contexts to generalise the findings. Despite the rising relevance and focus on leadership, few studies in India examine the role of job satisfaction and its influence on teachers (Cerit, 2009).
School administrators can develop a shared vision of their aims or goals and inspire instructors to attain them by utilising their skills and abilities (Al-Mahdy et al., 2016). Servant leadership is described as an intention and behavior in which leaders prioritise the needs of staff or schools before their ambitions. To tackle the difficulties of the 21st decade, school principals must demonstrate servant leadership attributes (Luqman et al., 2012). Some academics argue that it is an unrealistic strategy, while others argue that it is Ahmad,Batool & Abdullah. Perceived Servant Leadership Style of Principals Correlates with Job Satisfaction of Secondary School Teachers in Pakistan 6 a weak style. It has acquired acceptance and respect in past years, despite all of the critiques, as a genuine leadership style, particularly in school systems (Aboramadan et al., 2020;Al-Asadi et al., 2019;Barnes, 2015;Stewart, 2017;Jit et al., 2017). A lot of work is put into developing tools, accurate research, and pieces of evidence to examine servant leadership. Several researchers have attempted to construct a real multi-dimensional instrument, however, they have proved unsuccessful. It includes a wide range of behaviors and practices as well as attitudes that are difficult to understand in a few ideas and, in such situations, appear to be hard to define. Researchers used 1500 frontmen in the west to construct a credible, standard, and consistent scale of servant leadership (Van Dierendonck & Nuijten, 2011). "Standing back, bravery and empowerment, accountability, honesty, humility and forgiveness, and stewardship" are the dimensions of servant leadership" (p. 249). Many theories of servant leadership are brought together credible and validated fashion. All of the dimensions operated in this study are explained in the following paragraphs.
Accountability. The ability to transparently accept responsibility for one's acts. When a leader has problems making progress or succeeding, or when a failure occurs, he or she takes responsibility for it (Hall et al., 2009). Authenticity. "A type of ethical and honest leadership behavior that fosters openness to provide critical information needed to make decisions. Courage and Empowerment. The ability of making judgments on reasoned, knowledgeable opinions, rather than being swayed by current political winds. "Wisdom, passion, and hope" are three characteristics of bold leadership. "A practice in which data, power, and rewards are shared with employees so that they can make decisions to solve problems and improve performance and management" (Batagiannis, 2007, p. 156). Humility and Forgiveness. These are based on a balanced assessment of one's strengths and weaknesses. Only the recognition of reality about themselves or others can move a modest person. Empathy and forgiveness are intimately linked. A leader who shows forgiveness and tries to comprehend the viewpoints of others understands that truth is produced through respect, care, and extending help (Argandona, 2014).
Standing back. When leaders notice that a member requires attention or is being restricted in any way, they take a step back. Its objective is to offer people an opportunity to provide input or output for the organization. Leaders can simply sit in the background and allow subordinates to function and make decisions on their own. This is typically done by leaders to empower their employees. Stewardship. Long-lasting actions and ideas, putting personal interests ahead of shared interests (Hernandez, 2008).
Although servant leadership has not been examined as extensively as other leadership styles (Stone et al., 2004), the literature demonstrates that it can improve individual and team performance, resulting in greater effectiveness (Parris & Peachey, 2013). According to Van Dierendonck (2011), servant leaders have a good impact on subordinates' efficiency, work engagement, and helping people to achieve self-actualization and believe in themselves. The current study looked at the relationship between principal servant leadership and teacher job satisfaction to better understand this style of leadership and its impact on individuals and schools.

Job Satisfaction
Job satisfaction is a personal subjective assessment of how one feels about one's job and the company where he or she works. Furthermore, it is the pleasant emotional state that occurs as a result of achieving job objectives (Courtney & Younkyoung, 2017). Salary, working time, additional benefits, anxiety levels, and flexibility are all significantly influencing. Productivity, commitment, achievement, and overall happiness have all been linked to job satisfaction. It is a human's positive attitude toward their work, which serves as a motivator. It is not about selfsatisfaction or pleasure, but rather about how you feel at work. It portrays the simple sensation state that comes with achieving goals or the feeling that comes with achieving objectives (Green & Heywood, 2008).
It is critical for today's firms to secure their personnel' mental and sociological pleasure, as this will raise their willingness to stay with the company and improve their job efficiency, resulting in higher revenue (Aksoy et al., 2018). Workers' good attitudes toward their jobs are referred to as job satisfaction. It is concerned with the amount to which individuals'

Ahmad, Batool & Abdullah. Perceived Servant Leadership Style of Principals Correlates with Job Satisfaction of Secondary School Teachers in Pakistan 8
physical, emotional, and social requirements are addressed, and it has an impact on their happiness, productivity, and performance at work (Canan & Oksay, 2015). Job satisfaction, according to Ayamolowo et al. (2013) stated that it is an emotional reaction to a staff's assessment of their workplace and environment. It is vital for employee performance, levels of happiness, and quality of life (Atefi et al., 2014). Furthermore, previous studies have highlighted three key components of job satisfaction: incentives, job stress, and job characteristics (Yuen et al., 2018). Heads of institutes must grasp how their leadership style affects job satisfaction because they work with teachers in their schools. When school leaders support their subordinates, pay attention to their basic human needs, work for their wellbeing, as well as provide them independence and participate in the decision and administrative duties, teachers are more satisfied (Bogler & Nir, 2012). Teacher happiness is on the decline across the country, and research shows that teachers who are happy in their jobs are significantly better teachers than those who are not. In 2006, Nguni, Sleegers, and Denessen published Nguni et al. work. This is a topic that needs to be researched more as researchers try to figure out why teachers are becoming increasingly dissatisfied at work.
When teachers are committed, they feel fulfilled and as if their school is concerned about their quality of life. According to Bitterstaff (2012) their happiness is also determined by their ability to contribute to the school's success. According to Black (2010) there's a strong link between hiring administrations, school climate, and instructors' job satisfaction, based on the data of 231 full-time educators and 15 principals. According to Alonderiene and Majauskaite (2016), leaders' capabilities are a strong predictor of faculty job satisfaction. The researchers indicate that servant leadership influences job satsiafaction significantly. Harris et al. (2016) found that such leadership style boosts teaching satisfaction and improves retention, which corroborates these findings. Aboramadan et al. (2020) studied the role of JS in the correlation of leadership and educational achievement and discovered that both factors have a strong association and leadership influences staff satisfaction, which in turn improves school academic achievement.
Similarly, researchers from several domains have discovered that such leadership in a school has an impact on the internal atmosphere, student achievement, persistence, and job fulfilment. These are all mandatory factors of the education system (Al-Mahdy et al., 2016;Black, 2010;Cerit, 2009;Stewart, 2017;McCann et al., 2014). The practical study found that SL had a favourable and substantial impact on the job satisfaction of teachers. This suggests that leaders who possess SL characteristics boost the satisfaction levels of staff under their supervision (Singh & Ryhal, 2021).

Study Rationale
The primary goal of servant leadership is to work for the development of others and institutions rather than for personal gain. Servant leadership is dedicating one's time and energy to colleagues and the organization's goals to foster a productive environment. According to Bitterstaff (2012), recent literature suggests that leadership styles are interrelated to job satisfaction, and some studies show that only a given leadership style may be suitable for a particular profession. Only the value and independence of employees, as well as teacher compliance, provide great outcomes. It's been suggested that a certain type of servant leadership is related to teachers' contentment with their jobs. The issue is that the study examines whether servant leadership is reliable in the educational system, even though many other studies on different styles of leadership have been done. To increase conformity, additional research is needed to determine whether teachers are satisfied while working and undertaking servant leadership activities.

Significance of the Study
Due to the exploration of novel phenomena in this setting, the relevance of this present research has its value. It provides information on employees' assessments of their job happiness as a result of positive coordination and leadership traits in secondary schools. In addition, the study builds on the importance of servant leadership in the school. It also looked into the relationship between servant leadership and teaching staff. It was discovered that these elements are intertwined and that headteachers must model a positive attitude and take appropriate actions to satisfy faculty or staff. The findings of this study may be useful for institution heads to adopt such a leadership style to increase teacher satisfaction. By promoting administrative culture and effectiveness, this study may improve the function of servant leadership in the educational setting. This may aid in the development and contribution of new knowledge about such leadership, which is primarily focused on serving the school and staff members, colleagues, and satisfying the academic staff in this field.

Research Objectives
This research pursued two main objectives (1) Explore the correlation between perceived servant leadership style of principals and job satisfaction of secondary school teachers, (2) Identify signigificant differences in teachers' perceived servant leadership style of Principals and thier job satisfaction based on gender, age, experience and qualification taken as demographic variables.

Conceptual Framework
After evaluating literature and pertinent data, the researchers constructed a framework for study concept clarity, which they subsequently suggested in the study and for academic communities. Figure 1 illustrates the conceptual framework of this research as it revolves around the correlation between the two variables, it further demonstrates the sub-factors of each variable.

Research Methodology
This section of the research is concerned with the research mechanism. It is based on the researchers' method and methodical procedure for conducting the study. They went over every detail of the design and technique in great depth.

Research Design
The research was quantitative and in the form of a survey. The association between the perceived servant leadership style of principals and secondary teachers' job satisfaction was investigated using a correlational research approach.

Population and Sampling
The study's target group was male and female public secondary school teachers in the Lahore and Kasur districts of Punjab province, Pakistan. According to the School Information System, Lahore has 556 schools while Kasur has 248 secondary level schools (School Education Department, 2021). Figure 2 explains the whole sampling design. The sample was drawn using a multistage stratified random sampling technique. At first stage, the two districts were taken as two strata and two Tehsils were selected randomly from each district/strata. In second stage, 10 boys' and 10 girls' schools were randomly chosen from each tehsil. In the third step, seven teachers from each school were randomly selected based on the record of schools. A total of 560 secondary school teachers 280 from each stratum were selected as a sample. The sampling design flow chart is produced below.

Instrumentation
In this study, two adapted instruments in the form of a questionnaire were used. It was selected and adapted after a thorough assessment of the relevant literature, which included papers, books, and theses. The questionnaire was divided into three sections. Respondents were asked demographic questions in the first half, and then items about servant leadership based on the factors as identified by (Van Dierendonck & Nuijten, 2011) in the second section and factors related to job satisfaction (JS) as identified by (Bogler & Nir, 2012;Kloep & Tarifa, 1994) in the third section.

Validity and Reliability
An adapted instrument is not useful or valid until it's been validated by professionals in the local context. As a result, it was approved by the appropriate individuals. The questionnaire was utilized for pilot testing after receiving expert validation approval. The goal of pilot testing was to establish the tool's validity and eliminate any inappropriate items. The internal consistency of the items was also examined to ensure the questionnaire's reliability. Pilot testing involved forty research subjects. Cronbach Alpha was used to assure item uniformity and reliability.
The reliability of the instruments used in this research was checked through the coefficient of Cronbach's Alpha internal consistency. The servant leadership 28 items were grouped in six factors and 20 items of job satisfaction were grouped in four factors. For the pilot testing, a sample of forty teachers other than the actual sample was selected. The reported values of the tools were 0.866 and 0.842 for the servant leadership scale and job satisfaction scale, respectively.

Data Collection and Analysis
Following the completion of the study, researchers visited schools, talked with the headteacher of each institution, and obtained authorization to collect data. The researchers next addressed the teachers and briefed them on the study, its goal, and the questionnaire. They were also given proper training and mandatory instructions. Research ethics were observed during data collecting. However, only 510 questionnaires were received back filled in all aspects.
Data analysis may be divided into two types: descriptive and inferential. Because this study is about relationships, Pearson r was used to investigate it. Independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to examine the demographic differences in instructors' views of factors. A detailed data analysis is as follows.  Table 1 displays the correlation between servant leadership and job satisfaction strong positive significant relationship with teacher job satisfaction (r = .62 ** at p<.001).  Table 2 demonstrates the result of the correlation of servant leadership with factors of job satisfaction. The r-value depicts that servant leadership has a significant, positive and moderate correlation with security factor (r =. 36 ** ) and with work environment (r =.53 ** ), strong relationship (r =.63 ** ) with responsibilities, and weak negative relationship (r =-.22 ** ) at p<.001 with community attachment factor of job satisfaction.  Table 3 illustrates the correlation r-value of JS was significant moderate and positive with accountability (r =.38 ** ), courage and empowerment (r =.37 ** ), strong association standing back (r =.71 ** ), humanity and forgiveness (r =.42 ** ) factors, while with authenticity there is insignificant weak correlations (r =.04 ** ), and with stewardship factor there is strong, positive and significant correlation (r =.61 ** ) at p<.001 with job satisfaction. The t-test value was used to compare the mean scores of servant leadership and job satisfaction for males and females, as shown in Table 4. According to the findings, there was no statistically significant difference in the mean score of servant leadership and job satisfaction based on male and females p > .19 and p > .49 respectively. difference in servant leadership as well as a significant difference in work satisfaction among teachers based on different age groups at p = .000. Post hoc tst (HSD) was applied to see the differences in the age group categories. The post hoc analysis revealed that the mean score of age group category of 21-30 years was less than the category of 31-40 and 41-50 years. The mean difference was 5.43 and 8.03 respectively.  Table 6 expressed one-way ANOVA to determine the differences in the opinions of teachers about servant leadership and job satisfaction based on their different qualifications. The results demonstrate a significant difference at p = .000. As a result of the differences in qualifications, teachers had differing impressions of the leadership style of the principal and job satisfaction.
One-way ANOVA was also applied on the factors of servant leadership factors such as accountability, empowerment, standing back, humanity and forgiving, authenticity, and stewardship, and on the factors of job satisfaction such as security, work environment, responsibilities, and social attachment were also applied which revelaed significant difference in their perceptions due to teachers' qualifications at p = .000. Post hoc test (HSD) was applied to see the differences based on different qualifications.
Post hoc analysis revealed that in servant leadership teachers with qualification of 14 years i.e. (BA/BSc) had significantly less mean score than those having 16 years (MA) and 18 years (MPhil) qualification. The mean difference was 6.43 and 6.64 respectively.
Post hoc analysis on job satisfaction revelaed that the opinions of teachers with 14 years qualification (BSc) had significantly less mean score (1.73) as compared to the opinions of teachers with 18 years qualification (MPhil). Based on their experience, a one-way ANOVA was used to determine the differences among teachers' experiences on variables of servant leadership and job satisfaction. In terms of servant leadership and job fulfilment, the results demonstrate a significant difference due to teachers' experiences at p = .000. As a result of the differences in job experience, it was established that staff had distinct perspectives of servant leadership style and job satisfaction.
One-way ANOVA was used to look at the differences in teachers' experiences with servant leadership factors. The results demonstrate a Ahmad,Batool & Abdullah. Perceived Servant Leadership Style of Principals Correlates with Job Satisfaction of Secondary School Teachers in Pakistan 18 significant difference in teachers' experiences with accountability, standing back, humanity and forgiving, authenticity, and stewardship at p = .000 expect empowerment. As a result of the differences in job experience, they had different opinions of elements affecting a leader's leadership style. One-way ANOVA was used to examine the differences in teachers' experiences with job satisfaction factors. In terms of security, work environment, responsibilities, and social attachment, the results revealed a significant difference in teachers' experiences at p = .000. It was established that teachers had distinct perspectives of elements affecting job satisfaction.
Post hoc test (HSD) was applied to see further differences in the the opinions of teachers about servant leadership and job satisfaction based on their different experience levels. Teachers with 1-5 years of expereicen had a significantly less mean score (7.41) than teachers with expericen of 26-30 years category about servant leadership and (5.90) less mean score about job satisfaction.

Discussion
The main goal of this study was to see if there was an association between two variables: servant leadership and job satisfaction based on the perception of teaching staff on both. This study is thought to have aided academic success, particularly in terms of school references.
The current study also looked into the relationship between a head teacher's servant leadership style and school teachers' job satisfaction. The results of this study reveal a strong positive and significant correlation between perceived servant leadership style of school heads and job satisfaction of teacehrs. The findings are congruent with (Bowling & Cucina, 2015), who also found significant correlations between the two variables in school settings. Guillaume, Honeycutt and Savage-Austin (2013) conducted a similar study in a university in Georgia, USA and found a significant correlation between the variables. In Pakistani context, servant leadership is a relatively novice concept and it will take time for educational institutions heads to adopt to this style.
The factors of servant leadership and job satisfaction also showed significant and positive correlation in this study with an exception of a factor 'community attachment' of job satisfaction which showed a negative correlation. Farrington and Lillah (2019) also examined servant leadership and job satisfaction on these factors and they also revealed a negative correlation in two factors an all other as positive. This highlights that the factors of servant leadership and job satisfaction have significant attribution to the variables and separate studies should be conducted on each factor to identify its dynamics and influence.
The demographic variables were also examined in this research, and they revealed significant differences in both variables. This is a natural phenomenon that those who are relatively new to a workplace, less in age, expereicen, and qualification tend to a have a different opinion on a certain phenomena as compared to those who are higher in age, qualification and expereicen. Similary, this study also found that based on lesser age, qualification and experience, the opinions of teachers about servant leadership and their job satisfaction were lesser. This can be attributed to the fact that yound people are enthusiastic about job opportunities and with age and experience people come to know about the practical struggles and moving in a career and an institution. Espceially, In Pakistan, given the unfavorable economic conditions and less job market opportunities the people tend to stick to one institution to secure household expenses of their families. However, this difference in the opinions about servant leadership an djob satisfaction is not limited to this study and conditions in Pakistan only, a latest study in Turkey studied the perceptions of generation Y on servant leadership and job satisfaction and also revealed that generation y had different opinion about the variables as compred to previous, older and experienced generations (Bilge, Virlanuta, Zungun, Barbuta-Misu, Comuk, & Guven, 2021).

Conclusions
The current study explored the relationship between head teachers' servant leadership style and teaching faculty members' job satisfaction in secondary schools. The study also wanted to see if there were any differences in teachers' perception of servant leadership and job satisfaction. Servant leadership encourages leaders to lead their organizations to help Ahmad,Batool & Abdullah. Perceived Servant Leadership Style of Principals Correlates with Job Satisfaction of Secondary School Teachers in Pakistan 20 their subordinates, staff, and professors. Because this leadership style is so important in improving employee satisfaction, it's worth mentioning. The school head is in charge of both academics and administrative functions, as well as dealing with the intricacies of institutional management. A servant leader uses his or her power and influence to benefit the school, teaching staff, and students. By paying attention and meeting basic requirements in school, headteachers with servant leadership characteristics and talents support the entire institution in achieving the intended goals and satisfying faculty members. According to the findings of the study, perceived servant leadership has a significant and favorable association with teachers job satisfaction. Both factors are inextricably related, as evident in the literature cited. Teachers in an institution do their job duties well and complete given tasks effectively and efficiently if the school head leads the school by serving the employees, paying attention and showing caring behavior. The reason for this is that under this kind of supporting and loving leadership, employees feel physically and mentally satisfied. The findings revealed that servant leadership had a strong, positive and significant association with work satisfaction levels of teachers.
The findings revealed a substantial difference in perceptions of courage and empowerment, which are elements of servant leadership, between male and female teachers. Teachers appeared to have no significant differences in their opinions of job satisfaction sub-factors. Due to differences in age, qualification, and experience, teachers had varying perceptions of servant leadership and work satisfaction aspects. As a result, this study filled a research vacuum by investigating the relationship between servant leadership and work satisfaction among teachers in a local setting and determining or proving empirically that the two variables are associated. To manage the institution and ensure faculty work satisfaction, school administrators must adopt a servant leadership approach. Where there is bad leadership, servant leadership appears to be sufficient for teacher satisfaction; instructors are dissatisfied in organizations. As a result, if servant leadership is practised in schools, teachers will be more satisfied with their jobs. IJELM-International Journal Educational Leadership & Management,

Recommendations
Any research is incomplete without recommendations. As a result, the researchers made some recommendations keeping in mind the study's findings and conclusions. It was proposed that school leaders embrace a servant leadership style and govern their institutions in this manner. Teachers are delighted when the school principal handles all employees equally and fairly. They are more satisfied with their job. As a result, the headteacher should be aware of the demands of faculty members and provide training so that they can efficiently and effectively learn and polish their teaching and administrative skills. The head teacher can focus on building positive relationships with teachers by providing a pleasant environment and personal assistance that helps personnel and staff meet their particular goals for achievement, duty, ability, and admiration. School leaders should lead to serving the teaching staff, faculty, and the institution as a whole and it's only feasible if you lead like a servant. The school department may organize or conduct seminars, training sessions, and meetings to prepare headteachers for servant leadership. This could be useful in satisfying staff more effectively. Leadership should try to ensure that employees in schools are satisfied and that all of their needs are met to get maximum efficiency.