Teachers’ Servant Leadership, Students’ Learning Engagement, and Academic Achievement in the Ethiopian Higher Education System

The purpose of this study was to examine the practices, status, and relationships among teachers’ servant leadership, students’ learning engagements, and academic achievement in the Ethiopian Higher Education System. 270 participants (101 teachers and 169 senior students) selected using simple random sampling provided data via closed-ended questionnaires. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with purposely selected deans. In addition, records of sample students’ GPA were reviewed and analyzed. Mean, t-test, correlations and regressions were used to analyze data. The results were significant at p<0.05. Thus, mean values for teachers’ servant leadership and students’ learning engagement showed weak and infrequent practices though the correlation and regression results showed statistically significant and positive (r= 0.072 & R2=0.09). Besides, the correlation and regression results of students’ learning engagement and academic achievement were positive and significant (r=0.122 & R2=0.021). Moreover, the association and regression results of teachers’ servant leadership and students’ academic achievements were also statistically significant and positive (r=.052 & R2=0.035).From those findings observed, it would be possible to conclude that teachers’ leadership has a positive influence on students’ learning engagement, and thereby, students’ academic achievement in the Ethiopian Higher Education system . Thus, to improve students’ learning engagement for better results and make them meaningfully engrossed in their learning, teachers in the Ethiopian Higher Educational Institutions shall be capacitated in a way they create conducive learning environments and meaningfully apply effective instructional strategies like practical learning tasks, problem solving tasks, independent project works, peer- based academic discourses, and debates.