Strengthening Instructional Leadership Competencies in a Thai Private Secondary School.

Abstract

Current knowledge in the field of educational administration has emphasized the role of technology and how it can assist teachers to increase student academic achievement, but there lacks in popularity a familiar and academically-focused framework suitable for principals to assist teachers in their professional role. This research utilized the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale by Hallinger to (1) identify teachers’ demographics, and (2) their perception towards the quality of principal leadership in order to (3) compare these perceptions to teachers’ demographic factors, so that a determination might be considered on what areas lack development and what measures could be taken to strengthen them. This study measured teachers’ demographics according to age, gender, years of work experience with their principal, as well as the total years of teaching experience at a private Thai high school. The results illustrated that many of the job-functions have a direct impact on others, while the principal’s physical presence is key to Developing the School Learning Climate Program, Managing the Instructional Program, and Defining the School Mission. In particular, younger teachers believed their principal to be underperforming and lacking observable leadership skills. The implications demonstrated that the majority of all the ten principal job-functions were comparatively lower than previous studies completed in Western jurisdictions. Since the findings have contributed to the understanding of principal instructional leadership by establishing the negative implications it can have on overall institutional practice.