Towards an understanding of morality in school leadership of secondary principals in the National Capital Region

This study examined the participants understanding and concept of morality in leadership by building a foundation for categorizing and appraising certain attributes of morality in Filipino leadership. This was done by exploring their views, experiences and practices of the participants. A deeper understanding on how morality in leadership was incorporated and practiced by the secondary principals following the elements and dimensions of moral leadership as defined by other authors were also reviewed, compared and contrasted in this study before coming up with a framework. This study is significant in the sense that it can provide a framework on morality in leadership from the perspective of Filipino secondary principals, which is an under research area in educational management. This framework may unveil a genuine Filipino dimension of morality in leadership and therefore can provide literature particularly on moral leadership. Morality in leadership as a reflective process starts from self-reflection or “must know” and it is composed of four categories. Another pattern that emerged from the data is the function of morality in leadership or the “must be”; the requisites of morality in leadership or the “must have”; and the demands of morality or “must become”. The factors that influenced the principals to be morally responsible include lineage factor, organizational factor, societal factor and other factors. In the exercise of their function as leader they perform different tasks namely organizing, synergizing, personifying and executing. Significant experiences both personal and professional also helped the principals’ morality as leaders.