Instructional Leadership Practices Research Articles

The Importance of Knowledge about the Preschool Curriculum in Terms of Preschool Administrators’ Instructional Leadership Practices

The purpose of the present study was to unearth the importance of school administrators’ knowledge about thepreschool curriculum in terms of displaying instructional leadership behaviors in the kindergartens and primary schools with preschool classes. The study group in the research consisted of 20 preschool teachers and 10 preschool administrators working in the schools tied to the Ministry of National Education in Kilis province, chosen via the purposeful sampling technique. Interviews were conducted with the participants to collect the data. The data were then content-analyzed. The results revealed that primary school administrators did not have adequate knowledge about the preschool curriculum and could not display instructional leadership behaviors; however, preschool administrators had, comparatively, adequate knowledge about the curriculum and were more successful in terms of displaying instructional leadership behaviors. Drawing on this point, it may be suggested that knowledge about the preschool curriculum is of utmost importance in preschool administrators’ instructional leadership practices.

DETERMINATION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF HEAD TEACHERS’ LEADERSHIP PRACTICES INFLUENCING STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS: A CASE STUDY OF MACHAKOS COUNTY, KENYA

The purpose of this study was to assess the most important aspects of head teachers’ leadership practices influencing student academic achievement in secondary schools of Machakos County, Kenya. Performance by many students in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination in most secondary schools in Machakos County has been low in the recent past years (2009-2013), and a study was therefore necessary to establish whether in the execution of head teachers’ instructional leadership practices, the head teachers may have ignored important aspects which if put to consideration could help improve their instructional leadership practice, and subsequently the performance of pupils. The study applied Survey design. The target population was the head teachers, teachers and students of 176 public secondary schools in Machakos County. Stratified sampling technique was used to select 38 head teachers, 190 teachers and 345 students from among high and low performing secondary schools in Machakos County. The study used the Head Teacher Questionnaire (reliability 0.78), Teachers Questionnaire (reliability 0.74) and the students Questionnaire (reliability 0.75). The response was 87.5%. Factor analysis was then done to establish the most important indicators of the head teachers’ instructional leadership practices. The study found that most indicators used in the head teachers’ instructional leadership are reliable, with Cronbach’s alpha values higher than 0.5. The study recommends in-service training for head teachers and preparatory training for deputy head teachers and heads of departments on effective instructional leadership practices so as to enhance balanced instructional leadership in schools. Article visualizations:

Relationship between Head Teachers’ instructional Leadership Practices and the Academic Performance of Students in Machakos County

The performance of students in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination in Machakos County, Kenya has been low for the recent years. It is suspected that the head teachers may have ignored their instructional leadership practices which if put to consideration could help improve students’ performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between head teachers’ instructional leadership practices and students’ performance in KCSE examination. The study applied descriptive survey design. Stratified sampling technique was used to select 38 head teachers, 190 teachers and 345 students from 38 (42%) of target schools which were grouped as high performing and low performing categories. Pearson’s product moment correlation was used and the study found strong positive correlations between instructional leadership practices and the performance of students, where poorly performing schools are also rated low in the instructional leadership practice, and vice versa for schools performing well. The study therefore recommends in-service training on instructional leadership for head teachers to enhance balanced instructional leadership, for better academic performance. Article visualizations:

Exploring principals’ instructional leadership practices in Malaysia: insights and implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to outline the findings from a small-scale, exploratory, study of principals’ instructional leadership practice in Malaysian primary schools. The dimensions and functions of instructional leadership, explicitly explored in this study, are those outlined in the Hallinger and Murphy’s (1985) model.Design/methodology/approachThis study is part of a larger international, comparative research project that aims to identify the boundaries of the current knowledge base on instructional leadership practice and to develop a preliminary empirically based understanding of how principals conceive and enact their role as instructional leaders in Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Using a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 primary school principals in Malaysia. The sample comprised principals from 14 Government National schools (SK), nine principals from Chinese schools (SJKC) and seven principals from Tamil schools (SJKT). The qualitative data were initially analysed inductively, and subsequently coded using ATLAS.ti to generate the findings and conclusions.FindingsThe findings showed that the Malaysian principals, who were interviewed, understood and could describe their responsibilities relating to improving instructional practice. In particular, they talked about the supervision of teachers and outlined various ways in which they actively monitored the quality of teaching and learning in their schools. These data revealed that some of the duties and activities associated with being a principal in Malaysia are particularly congruent with instructional leadership practices. In particular, the supervision of teaching and learning along with leading professional learning were strongly represented in the data.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a small-scale, exploratory study involving 30 principals.Practical implicationsThere is a clear policy aspiration, outlined in the Malaysian Education Blueprint, that principals should be instructional leaders. The evidence shows that principals are enacting some of the functions associated with being an instructional leader but not others.Originality/valueThe findings from this study provide some new insights into the principals’ instructional leadership practices in Malaysia. They also provide a basis for further, in-depth exploration that can enhance the knowledge base about principals’ instructional leadership practices in Malaysia.

The west wind vs the east wind: instructional leadership model in China

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a preliminary model of instructional leadership in the Chinese educational context and explore the ways in which Chinese school principals locate their instructional-leadership practices in response to traditional expectations and the requirements of recent reforms.Design/methodology/approachIn-depth interviews were conducted with 22 selected primary school principals in Shenzhen and Guangzhou. A qualitative analysis was conducted to categorize the major leadership practices enacted by these principals.FindingsAn initial model of instructional leadership in China with six major dimensions is constructed. The paper also illustrates and elaborates on three dimensions with the greatest context-specific meanings for Chinese principals.Originality/valueThe paper explores the ways in which Chinese principals enact their instructional leadership in a context in which “the west wind meets the east wind”; that is, when they are required to accommodate both imported reform initiatives and traditional expectations. The paper contributes to the sparse existing research on principals’ instructional leadership in non-western cultural and social contexts.

Perspectives on principal instructional leadership in Vietnam: a preliminary model

PurposeWorldwide interest in principal instructional leadership has led to global dissemination of related research findings despite their concentration in a limited set of western cultural contexts. An urgent challenge in educational leadership and management lies in expanding the range of national settings for investigations of instructional leadership. The current study addressed this challenge in the context of Vietnam, a nation with a very limited formal knowledge base in school leadership (Hallinger and Bryant, 2013b; Hallinger and Truong, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to describe the perspectives of Vietnamese primary school principals toward their role as instructional leaders, illuminate instructional leadership practices perceived as important by the principals, and develop a preliminary model of instructional leadership within the Vietnamese education context.Design/methodology/approachThis study was a qualitative inquiry that sought to illuminate the perspectives of Vietnamese principals toward their role as instructional leaders. The research employed semi-structured interviews with 27 primary school principals. Data analysis employed grounded theory in order to synthesize results gathered from the principals into a preliminary conceptual model.FindingsThe study yielded a preliminary model of principal instructional leadership in Vietnam. The authors’ model evidences similarities to western models of instructional leadership by including dimensions focusing on setting direction, managing curriculum and instruction and developing the school learning climate. Differences also emerged in terms of two additional constructs, building solidarity and managing external relationships. Other distinctive practices of Vietnamese instructional leaders also emerged in the findings which the authors suggest can be linked to the institutional, political and socio-cultural context of education in this society.Research limitations/implicationsKey limitations arise from the focus on primary schools, small size of the sample, absence of data from the Northern region of Vietnam, and lack of verification of principals’ perspectives with data from other stakeholders.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first empirical studies of Vietnamese school leadership submitted for publication in international refereed journals and the first study that has that sought to conceptualize the instructional leadership role of principals in Vietnam. Moreover, the study illustrates how conceptualizations of school leadership are shaped by features of specific societies. This lends credence to scholarly admonitions concerning the lack of universality of leadership theories.

Instructional leadership structure in Singapore: a co-existence of hierarchy and heterarchy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the instructional leadership practices and structure in Singapore primary schools.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a qualitative approach. Data were collected from interviews of 30 Singapore primary school principals and 25 working-day observations of five principals. A grounded theory method was utilized to analyze the qualitative data.FindingsThe instructional leadership roles of principals can be categorized into four key themes: vision development and implementation, physical and organizational structure, professional development, and leading and managing instruction. Importantly, the study illuminates a hybrid structure of instructional leadership in which both hierarchical and heterarchical elements exist.Originality/valueThe current study expands the global knowledge base on instructional leadership by providing indigenous knowledge of how instructional leadership is enacted in Singapore schools. Simultaneously, this study suggests an agenda for future research on instructional leadership.

THE EXTENT TO WHICH INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICES BY HEAD TEACHERS CONTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN MACHAKOS COUNTY, KENYA

The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which instructional leadership practices by head teachers contribute to students’ academic performance. Machakos County was chosen for this study due to its low performance by many students in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination in most secondary schools in the recent years (2009-2013). Instructional leadership practices chosen were included defining the school mission, managing the school instructional programme, providing a conducive working climate and providing incentives for teaching and learning. The study applied Survey design. From 176 public secondary schools, stratified sampling technique was used to select 38 head teachers, 190 teachers and 345 students from among high and low performing secondary schools. The study used the Head Teacher Questionnaire (reliability 0.78), Teachers Questionnaire (reliability 0.74) and the students Questionnaire (reliability 0.75). The response was 87.5%. Multiple regression analysis was done to test the extent to which head teachers instructional practices influences on students’ performance, while linear regression was used to determine the most influential leadership practice. It was established that the Bowman and Deal’s leadership theory is applicable to Kenyan schools, with the provision of incentives for learning and teaching being the most important leadership practice towards the teaching and learning process. Article visualizations:

Instructional Leadership Practices among Principals in Israeli and US Jewish Schools

Extant research indicates that principals are expected to serve as instructional leaders. Instructional leadership practices of principals in Israeli and US Jewish schools have, until recently, been unexplored. Therefore, this mixed-methodological study explores instructional leadership perceptions and behaviors among Israeli and US principals. Data, via questionnaires and interviews, were collected from 90 principals from each country. Findings suggest that US principals demonstrated significantly higher levels of instructional leadership. In both groups, women principals demonstrated higher levels of instructional leadership. Our interviews provided unique insights leading to our suggestions for ways of promoting greater attention to instructional leadership by principals of both countries.

Relationship between principals’ emotional intelligence and instructional leadership practices in Malaysian secondary schools

Relationship between principals’ emotional intelligence and instructional leadership practices in Malaysian secondary schools

Multilevel analysis of the relationship between principals’ perceived practices of instructional leadership and teachers’ self-efficacy perceptions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which principals’ instructional leadership predicts teacher self-efficacy, in order to identify whether a relationship exists between principals’ perceived instructional leadership practices and teachers perceived self-efficacy in classroom management, instruction, and student engagement, while controlling for several principal, teacher, and school characteristics.Design/methodology/approachThe data employed in this study were both teacher- and school-level data sets obtained from the Teaching and Learning International Survey, which was administered by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in 2013. A two-level mixed model was employed in the analysis of the data by adding adjusted weights at both levels for the complex survey data.FindingsThe results indicated a significant and positive relationship between principals’ perceived instructional leadership practice and teachers’ self-efficacy in all three aspects. Also, gender, experience, tenure status, and formal in-service training of teachers were found to be the key factors that have significant effects on teachers’ self-efficacy perceptions.Practical implicationsFindings suggested that international effort for mandating instructional leadership in schools is a worthwhile strategy, which can help teachers develop a greater sense of ability in classroom management, instruction, and student engagement.Originality/valueThis study is the first of its kind to examine the relationship between instructional leadership and teachers’ perceived self-efficacy in multiple areas related to teaching.

Administrator Observation and Feedback: Does It Lead Toward Improvement in Inquiry-Oriented Math Instruction?

Purpose: This study examines the content and efficacy of instructional leaders’ expectations and feedback (press) in relation to the improvement of middle school mathematics teachers’ instruction in the context of coherent systems of supports. Research Method/Approach: This mixed methods study is a part of a larger, 8-year longitudinal study in four large urban school districts across the United States. We used transcripts of interview data, surveys, and video recordings of instruction of 271 cases, over 4 years, to determine the content of administrator press, as reported by teachers, and the relationship between the content and change (if any) in instruction. To do so we used qualitative coding of interview transcripts, and ran a series of statistical models to examine the nature of the variance in and impact of administrative press. Findings: Most of the administrators’ press, as reported by teachers, was not targeted toward specific teachers’ mathematics instruction in ways that would likely lead toward improvement in those practices. Rather, the press focused on content-neutral instructional practices or classroom management and organization. Implications for Research and Practice: The instructional leadership practice of administrator observation and feedback is widespread, yet understudied as it relates to changes in teacher practice. Our findings indicate that current policies that mandate principals to spend substantial time in classrooms are unlikely to result in significant improvements in the quality of instruction unless meaningful resources are invested to support administrator learning.

Development and validation of instructional leadership questionnaire

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate instructional leadership questionnaire based on head teachers’ perceptions of instructional leadership practices. Based on rigorous literature review of the seminal research works and models on instructional leadership, a 40-items questionnaire grouped into seven dimensions was developed. Content validity of the questionnaire was ensured through opinions of two panels of experts and practitioners. Pilot study was conducted on 30 head teachers from rural and urban high schools to get their feedback on the language clarity, understandings, and the reliability. The alpha level of 0.75 based on pilot testing data provided validity evidence of the questionnaire. Later on, the researchers collected data from 164 head teachers, selected conveniently, from Okara and Lahore districts as Pakistan cities. Out of 164 head teacher, 85 were male and 79 were female; 78 were rural and 86 were urban; and 83 were directly selected from the selection boards while 81 were promoted to the head teacher positions. The overall internal consistency of the 40 items was 0.95 and alpha reliability of the seven dimensions ranged from 0.78 to 0.87. Exploratory factor analysis yielded seven subscales such as instructional resource provider, maintaining visible presence, teachers’ professional development, maximizing instructional time, monitoring student progress, giving feedback on teaching and learning process, and curriculum implementer. Significant positive correlations were found between all the seven dimensions of the questionnaire. Further, t-test for independent samples revealed that male and female, rural and urban, and selected and promoted head teachers significantly differ on the seven dimensions of the instructional leadership questionnaire, meaning that the questionnaire demonstrated variance across gender, location, and head teachers’ upgradation based on selection or promotion. The findings suggested initial evidence of validity and reliability of the instructional leadership questionnaire that can be used in school settings.

Improving the instructional leadership of heads of department in under-resourced schools: A collaborative action-learning approach

An unacceptable number of learners in under-resourced schools in South Africa are failing to perform adequately in national and international benchmark tests. Poor learner performance has been linked to poor-quality teaching, which, in turn, can be attributed in part to a lack of instructional leadership at schools. According to policy, heads of department (HODs) are best placed to offer such leadership, but in many schools this is not happening. We explain how we engaged HODs in one such school in a participatory action research process, to help them construct a framework for improving their instructional leadership. Qualitative data was generated through open-ended questionnaires, transcripts of recorded action learning set meetings, photovoice narratives, and reflective journals, and these were thematically analysed. The action learning framework developed by the participating HODs, while not being a definitive answer to improving the quality of teaching and learning, may provide guidelines for other HODs to improve their own instructional leadership practices. Since it is a process-based model, application of the model as an approach to improve instructional leadership could prove beneficial in both well-resourced and under-resourced contexts. Keywords: action learning; action research; distributed leadership practice; instructional leadership; participatory action research; school improvement; teacher professional development

Factors Influencing Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools: A Survey of Trans Nzoia East Sub County Kenya

The purpose of study carried out an analysis of strategies influencing academic performance in public secondary schools in Trans Nzoia East Sub County Trans Nzoia County Kenya. The main objectives were: establish the effect of motivational strategies on academic performance of public secondary schools; to establish the influence of principals’ strategy on work environment on students’ performance and examine the instructional leadership practices on academic performance in public secondary schools in Trans Nzoia East Sub County. The study was theorized by effective schools’ model theory by Lezotte (2001). The target population of the study were all principals and head of departments in the public secondary schools in the sub county. The study population comprised of all public schools in the sub county, all principals, and heads of departments. The sample was chosen using census technique as all targeted units were respondents. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the field. Simple descriptive statistics were used as they had an advantage over more complex statistics since they could easily be understood especially when making results known by a variety of readers. The coded data was processed and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that all schools employed strategies that were aimed at enhancing academic improvement. It was also concluded that there were not difference on strategies used in well performing schools and poor performing schools. The study further concluded that improvement on academic performance did not depend on the use of improvement strategy since schools that performed well and those that performed poorly claimed to employ the same strategies in the same way. In the light of the research findings the researcher to made the following recommendations: schools must seek to establish factors that lead to poor academic performance and hence find ways of addressing such factors; the government should be involved in the running of schools by providing the necessary resources and materials that would enhance improvement of academic performance; schools that deteriorate every year should evaluate all aspects of learning to establish the root cause of the same hence find ways of solving the problem.

Instructional Leadership Practices In Secondary Schools of Assosa Zone, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to investigate instructional leadership practices in secondary schools of Assosa zone, Ethiopia. In order to address the objectives of the study, a descriptive survey method was employed. The population of the study were 266 teachers and 12 principals. From this number of population, 141 teachers and 12 principals were used as a sample using simple random and comprehensive sampling techniques respectively. Data collected from these respondents was analyzed and interpreted using Percentage, one sample t-test, weighted mean and mean ranking. The finding revealed that, among instructional leadership functions, instructional leaders’ role in communicating school goals, supervision and evaluation of instruction, monitoring of school progress, protection of instructional time, maintaining high visibility, are promoting professional development seemed at a level near to average. Whereas, coordination of the curriculum, providing incentive for teachers, and incentive for students were significantly low performed. Based on findings it is concluded that, instructional leadership practices in the zone seem to be poor. On top of the findings, recommendations are forwarded to address the challenges the principals’ faced in their instructional leadership activities mainly focusing on empowering both principals and schools to foster instructional leadership practices in the secondary schools of the zone.

Gender Differences in Instructional Leadership

Purpose: Instructional leadership has assumed steadily increasing importance within the general role set of principals over the past 60 years. One persisting finding within this corpus of studies concerns the consistently higher ratings obtained by female principals on instructional leadership when compared with their male counterparts. This article employed meta-analysis first to test if there are significant differences in perceptions of the instructional leadership practices of male and female principals. Method: Then, the results were further analyzed to describe the nature of differences that were revealed in the first-stage analysis. The database for the meta-analysis consisted of 40 data sets drawn from 28 studies that had used the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) in studies of gender and instructional leadership. The data sets comprised perception data collected variously from principals and teachers on more than 2,000 principals between 1983 and 2014. The data were analyzed at three different construct levels measured by the PIMRS instrument: PIMRS Total Score, three dimensions, 10 functions. Results: The meta-analysis yielded statistically significant gender differences in instructional leadership (Cohen’s d = .288, p < .01) when the results of all studies were combined. The direction of the findings suggested that female principals engaged in more active instructional leadership than male counterparts. Implications: The gender differences in instructional leadership are consistent with the broader results of the meta-analytic literature on gender and leadership. Implications are discussed for both research and practice.

Validating a Spanish Version of the PIMRS

The purposes of this study were to report on a systematic approach to validating a Spanish version of the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale and then to apply the scale in a cross-national comparison of principal instructional leadership. The study yielded a validated Spanish language version of the PIMRS Teacher Form and offers a model of scale validation for other scholars who are interested in preparing an instrument for use outside of its culture of origin. The researchers used a back translation and expert panel procedure combined with psychometric analysis in order to achieve cultural equivalency for the translation. Psychometric properties of reliability (G Theory test of reliability) and validity (CFA, Rasch analysis) of the new version were assessed and compared to the original version in order to underpin its validity. The validation study employed a sample of 595 teachers and 26 principals in Santiago, Chile. The study yielded both a comprehensive analytical approach to cultural adaptation of survey instruments, as well a scale that can be used in Spanish speaking contexts. The study further demonstrated variability in patterns of instructional leadership practice across several national contexts.

Investigating discourses for administrators’ learning within instructional rounds

Instructional rounds is a professional learning practice for supporting school and district leaders’ understanding of the instructional core, the interaction among curricular content, instruction, and student learning, which is a foundation for instructional leadership practices. This article examines instructional rounds visits within a network of school district superintendents in a northeastern state of the USA over five years. It investigates how discussions within visits demonstrate features of discourse that afford opportunities for learning, that is, those that employ specific evidence in interpreting classroom practice. The analysis suggests that such instruction-specific discourse can be initiated by facilitators or participants. However, instruction-specific discourse is relatively rare and easily threatened, thus limiting opportunities for learning. The article offers implications for enhancing opportunities for instruction-specific discourse, thus making instructional rounds more generative of learning.

PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF GENDER AND EXPERIENCE OF TEACHERS INTO MALAYSIAN WOMEN PRINCIPAL’S INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICES

Malaysia, as a developing country, highly depends on its education system to achieve the Vision 2020 goal of being a developed nation. Therefore school leadership plays a key role in educational settings. As a great number of women principals are involved in leadership positions in this context, this study examined the factors influencing women principal’s instructional leadership practices from teachers’ perceptions through a survey instrument distributed to 39 Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur public secondary schools. Total of 357 teachers were randomly selected as the sample. The Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale encompassing 50 items was applied to find out the levels of instructional leadership practices of women principals. The quantitative data were analyzed by means, standard deviation, Pearson correlation and multiple regression. The results exhibit a moderate level of women principals’ instructional leadership practices from the viewpoints of teachers in these schools. The positive inter- relationship among the dimensions of instructional leadership practices were found while experience of t were significantly perceived on women principal’s instructional leadership practices. The findings show that women principals require well-organized training to enhance their learning and teaching in secondary schools and fill up the gap on relationship between women principal’s leadership practices and teacher’s demographic variables.