Directive leadership style of vocational high school principals

This study aimed to investigate the trends in directive leadership style of Vocational High School (SMK) principals, the correlation of each indicator to the latent construct variables of the directive leadership style, and the most dominant indicator affecting the formation of the latent variables of the directive leadership styles of the SMK principals. The methodology used in this research was a survey. The sample consisted of 180 SMK teachers in Medan City. The research instrument included a questionnaire that measured the directive leadership style of the SMK principals with a reliability coefficient of 0.92. The analytical techniques used were a descriptive statistical analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis with SEM analysis. Empirically, it was found that the directive leadership style of the SMK principal was high (82.22%) and relatively adequate (17.78%). The next finding was that work coordination became the strongest indicator (72.08%) forming the latent construct variable of the directive leadership style of the SMK principals. The latent construct variables of the directive leadership style of the SMK principals consecutively involved indicators of work coordination (72.08%), clear task details (60.99%), direction to comply with regulations (42.51%), guidance on how to complete tasks (39.18%), and strict supervision (24.10%). These findings significantly contributed to the development of leadership theory in the vocational education setting.