School Leadership Effects Research Articles

Transcending traditional metrics: Evaluating school leadership effectiveness through emotional intelligence and qualitative instruments

This paper examines the integration of school leaders' emotional intelligence and qualitative instruments into commonly used metrics for measuring school leadership effectiveness. Traditionally, these metrics rely heavily on questionnaires to assess leadership effectiveness. However, a weakness of these metrics is their excessive reliance on numerical data, which overlooks the qualitative dimensions of leadership. This study utilises Trait Emotional Intelligence Theory and Team Emotional Intelligence as units of analysis to redefine school leadership assessment. To make sense of the related literature and theories used in the study, an integrative literature review was employed as the methodological approach. The findings indicate that emotional intelligence significantly contributes to leadership effectiveness. The study also reveals that leaders who are self-aware of their emotional composition and its impact are more effective than those who are not. Furthermore, the results suggest that leaders who are cognisant and responsive to the emotional dynamics of their teams benefit from enhanced team cohesion, collaboration, and goal attainment. The study emphasises the importance of incorporating adaptable qualitative tools alongside quantitative instruments to accurately measure leadership effectiveness. Thus, this study adds to the existing literature by proposing a theoretically informed and adaptable framework that integrates an emotional intelligence construct and qualitative instruments for assessing school leadership effectiveness.

Functioning School Leadership During COVID-19

The current global pandemic has created an extraordinary and unprecedented opportunity for educational authorities to initiate significant reforms in the operating protocols of schools as a necessary response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis. The abrupt shift from traditional, in-person classroom instruction to remote and online learning environments has highlighted the need for swift action and thorough preparedness, requiring educational systems to adapt rapidly to new teaching methods and technologies. The long-lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced additional challenges for school leadership, emphasizing the urgent need for change and adaptation during this ongoing global health emergency. The critical role of academic leadership has become increasingly important, as leaders are now tasked with addressing complex issues and ensuring that education continues to be delivered effectively despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic. This study conducts a comprehensive analysis of the current literature on the effects of school leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to identify significant trends, advancements, and insights regarding academic leadership practices and their impact on school communities during the pandemic. Practical guidelines and views are offered for immediate use and future research areas.

Academic Culture: Its Meaning, Measure and Contribution to Student Learning

This study had two objectives. One objective was to assess the psychometric properties of a survey instrument measuring a new latent variable, Academic Culture (AC), combining three observed variables academic press, disciplinary climate and teachers’ uses of instructional time. The second objective was to replicate the results of an earlier study identifying AC as a significant mediator of school leadership’s influence on student learning. Data for the study were provided from 2068 teachers located in 49 schools in 14 Texas school districts, as well as student achievement data from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and student socioeconomic (SES) data available from school websites. Second order Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Many-Facet Rasch (MFR) models were used to examine the survey instrument’s construct validity and its measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling was used to identify the extent to which AC mediated the effects of school leadership on student achievement controlling for student SES. Rasch analysis and CFA confirmed the measurement invariance and several forms of validity of the survey instrument. Replicating the results of an earlier study, results of structural equation modeling demonstrated significant effects of AC on student achievement and identified AC as a significant mediator of school leadership effects on student achievement. The study contributes to the quality of instruments available to school leaders for their school improvement work and to researchers inquiring about the most promising variables mediating the indirect effects of school leadership on student success.

Transformational Leadership and Educational Outcomes

The effect of school leadership on educational outcomes has been widely debated in recent decades. Only a small fraction of available research studies deals with the measurement of the effects of leadership on specific educational outcomes. The paper aims to provide an overview of theory and research on the effect of transformational leadership on educational outcomes. A systematic review of the literature was conducted in an attempt to summarise the past 15 years of research on the link between transformational leadership and educational outcomes. The evidence on the effects of transformational leadership is used as the basis for conclusions and recommendations in relation to future research. These recommendations include the need for addressing methodological problems associated with leadership studies and the need to explore the link between transformational leadership and other leadership models.

Cultivating teacher innovativeness through transformational leadership and teacher agency in schools: the moderating role of teacher trust

PurposeThis paper explores the relationship between transformational principal leadership and individual teacher innovativeness, considering the mediating role of teacher agency (TA) and the moderating role of teacher trust (TT).Design/methodology/approachWe employed structural equation modeling (SEM) using survey data collected from 676 teachers at 25 schools in Turkey.FindingsThe results indicated no direct correlation between transformational leadership (TL) and teacher innovativeness but revealed a significant and positive association between TL and teachers' agency, as well as between teachers' agency and innovativeness, suggesting that TA fully mediates the association between TL and teacher innovativeness. Additionally, teachers' trust positively influenced the link between principal leadership and teachers' innovativeness, with the impact of TL on teachers' innovativeness being stronger when trust levels were higher.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the literature, providing an understanding of the mechanisms through which leadership can exert an influence on teacher innovativeness.Practical implicationsThis study also suggests that the strength of the influence is likely to vary under different circumstances. Trust among teachers appears to play a key role in the effect of school leadership on teachers, particularly when aiming to support and sustain innovativeness.Social implicationsTrust-based relationships within a school are essential for school principals to influence innovative practices. We conclude that, in the absence of trust as a key component of school climate, achieving a comprehensive understanding of the role of school leadership in fostering teacher innovativeness seems unattainable.Originality/valueThis paper expands existing knowledge regarding the effect of TL in leading teacher innovativeness by indicating the indispensable role of TA and trust.

School leadership and teaching practice: a systematic review of studies of the indirect effects

PurposeSince teaching practice is the most important within-school determinant of student learning outcomes, a deepened understanding of how and why school leadership contributes to effective teaching is needed. This article aimed to systematically review the knowledge that has been accumulated about the indirect relations between school leadership and instructional practices.Design/methodology/approachThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guided the selection of relevant articles from the databases Scopus and Google Scholar. Twenty-six published works met the eligibility criteria and were included in the narrative synthesis and content analysis.FindingsThe most frequently measured mediators of the effects of school leadership on teaching practice were teacher collaboration, professional learning and teacher self-efficacy. Most studies simultaneously modeled multiple mediated pathways from school leadership to teaching practice. However, only a few analyzed studies used time lags when examining relationships between constructs.Originality/valueThis is the first study to systematically review knowledge on pathways through which school leadership is related to classroom instruction. Thus, this review provides a comprehensive understanding of processes through which school leadership achieves its effects on instructional practices.

Model development of empowered on the job training program to improve the school leadership effectiveness

Purpose: The development of an on-the-job training program manual model is a critical step for educational units within the framework of sustainable human resource capacity development, which aims to see the need for an on-the-job training program for school leadership teams to improve their leadership effectiveness. This certainly needs to be supported by the design of an on-the-job training program for school leadership teams to improve their leadership effectiveness as an alternative means of capacity building for school leadership teams in managing schools. In addition, it is also to see the validity, practicality, and effectiveness of the on-the-job training program model for the school leadership team to improve their leadership effectiveness which in turn can provide significance to the education services managed in schools. Method: This study used a development research method based on Smith and Ragan's design. The instruments used in the study were validation and practicality sheets, model needs analysis questionnaires, interviews, and observations. Data on the validity and practicality of the model were obtained during data processing. Data processing was continued with paired sample t-test analysis using SPSS and N-Gain to determine the effectiveness. Results: The results of existing research show: 1) an assessment of the feasibility of the EMPOWERED OJT model to increase the effectiveness of school leadership shows a very high validity category with an average value of 84%, and its practicality is considered very practical with an average value of 95%; 2) an assessment of effectiveness, there is a Sig value. (2-tailed) is <.001, which is < 0.05, indicating that H0 is rejected and Ha is accepted. This shows the influence of using the OJT program model manual to increase the effectiveness of school leadership. It is also seen that there is an increase in the average (gain) of the pretest and posttest data of 0.73, which is included in the medium group criteria. Based on the results of this research, the developed product model is effective and contributes positively to increasing the effectiveness of leadership in schools, in this case, in the ranks of school leaders.

The Effects of Academic Press on Student Learning and Its Malleability to School Leadership: A Meta-Analysis of 30 Years of Research

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to: (a) meta-analyze the effects of academic press (AP) on K-12 student achievement in aggregate and in each examined learning subject; (b) meta-analyze the effect of school leadership of different leadership styles on AP; and (c) examine whether school level, subjects, and leadership or AP measures moderate these above-mentioned effects. Research Methods/Approach: Standard meta-analysis techniques were used to review 79 quantitative studies in the past 30 years and examine the multiple relationships between school leadership, AP, and student learning mentioned above. Heterogeneity analyses were conducted to identify moderators. Publication bias in these analysis results was also examined. Findings: AP had a large effect on student achievement; school leadership had a close to large effect on AP. These effects varied with leadership or AP measures and across school levels and student learning subjects. Implications for Research and Practice: The findings point to the importance of school leaders to improve student achievement by improving the level of AP in schools, especially high schools, and in schools with many economically disadvantaged students. Principals need to exercise a wide range of practices to push for academic excellence.

Effect of School Leadership on Academic Performance of Public Senior High Schools in Ghana

Since gaining independence, Ghana has implemented several reforms to enhance secondary education. However, these reforms have yet to fully achieve their intended improvements in the academic performance of second-cycle schools. According to the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education, while pass rates in core subjects have improved from 2006 to 2021, performance in the core subjects still falls short of 40%. This persistent underperformance has been attributed to school leadership and their capacity to effectively implement a vision for enhancing teachers’ skills and knowledge. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of school leadership on academic performance of public senior high schools in Ghana. The study examined the instructional and supervisory functions of school leadership. The study was anchored on distributed leadership and social learning theories. The study employed a positivist approach to systematically explore the relationship between the variables. The target population of the study was the 928 public senior high schools listed by the Ghana Education Service as of December 2023. The study applied the cross-sectional design survey and cluster-stratified random sample to collect data from 2176 respondents. The primary data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that there was a significant positive correlation (R= 0.669) between school leadership and academic performance of public senior high schools in Ghana. The study may be limited due to the use of the cross-sectional design survey, which cannot determine cause-and-effect relationships as data were collected at one point in time. The study recommends that school leadership should be prioritised in senior high schools in Ghana to facilitate the achievement of academic performance improvements in the schools. The Ministry and Ghana Education Service must ensure the appointment of competent school leadership to the senior high schools. Stakeholders of senior high school education in Ghana must equip school leadership for the performance of their roles. School leadership must adopt interventions to give teachers professional development to be effective in their teaching and learning methods.

EVALUATING THE INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ON CULTIVATING A POSITIVE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT IN SECONDARY EDUCATION IN BALOCHISTAN, PAKISTAN

ABSTRACT This research conducts a rigorous examination of the pivotal role played by school leadership in shaping a positive school environment within the distinctive context of secondary education in Balochistan, Pakistan. The study encompasses 300 students, 100 teachers, and 60 head teachers from the Makran Division. The primary objective is to investigate leadership strategies and their influence on fostering a positive environment. Through an in-depth exploration of leadership approaches, decision-making processes, and community engagement initiatives, the study aims to comprehend how these strategies contribute to the overall school environment. Additionally, the study involves evaluating outcomes related to student well-being, teacher-student relationships, and academic engagement. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the research measures the effects of school leadership on creating an environment conducive to holistic student development. Strong connections are identified between student performance, teacher efficacy, and head teacher leadership. Positive correlations (r = 0.615, p < 0.01) exist between students' and teachers' performance, a moderate correlation (r = 0.328, p < 0.05) between students' performance and head teacher leadership, and a notable correlation (r = 0.336, p < 0.01) between teacher performance and head teacher leadership. The study aims to provide insights into effective leadership practices in Balochistan's secondary education and offers recommendations for enhancing the educational experience and fostering positive school environments. The findings are intended to inform educational policymakers, school administrators, and practitioners, facilitating informed decision-making for the improvement of secondary education environments in Balochistan, particularly within the Makran Division, and potentially in similar contexts globally.

Retrospective of five years research of school leadership in Asia (2018–2022): A scientometric paradigm

<span lang="EN-US">This research scrutinized the scientometric objectivity of school leadership research in Asia. Publication records between 2018 and 2022 were extracted from Scopus and the Web of Science, after which the bibliographic data set was administered using ScientoPy and VOSviewer. A total of 958 publications were issued over the last five years, with 2020 having the highest number of published articles. The International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change was the most productive source (26 papers), Hallinger was the most published author, and “Examining school leadership effects on student achievement: the role of contextual challenges and constraints” had the most significant impact with 33 citations. The top 10 keywords were “leadership,” “higher education,” “transformational leadership,” “principal,” “education,” “school principals,” “school leadership,” “instructional leadership,” “educational leadership,” and “organizational commitment.” With 240 publications, Indonesia was Asia’s leading contributor in this research domain. The results indicated that school leadership research is important. It is recommended that future researchers extend this research to other regions, such as Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia, to gain a fuller picture of school leadership studies across the world.</span>

The Effects of Teacher Trust on Student Learning and the Malleability of Teacher Trust to School Leadership: A 35-Year Meta-Analysis

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to (1) meta-analyze the effects of teacher trust, and of each trust dimension on student learning in aggregate and in each of the six learning subjects; (2) meta-analyze the effect of school leadership, of each leadership domain, and of different leadership styles on teacher trust; and (3) examine whether school level, subjects, trust dimensions, and leadership styles moderate these abovementioned effects. Research Methods/Approach: Standard meta-analysis techniques were used to review 83 studies and examine the multiple relationships between school leadership, teacher trust, and student learning mentioned above. Heterogeneity analysis was conducted to identify moderators. Publication bias in these analysis results was also examined. Findings: The study shows that teacher trust had a moderate effect on student learning. School leadership had a large effect on teacher trust. Teacher trust in students and parents contributed to student learning more than the other dimensions of trust. All five domains of school leadership were related to teacher trust, with the effect sizes being large or moderate. Supportive, collegial types of school leadership had the largest effect on the teachers’ trust. Implications for Research and Practice: To improve student learning, school leaders need to enlist all effective practices in order to build trust in schools and pay equal attention to improving teachers’ trust as they do other efforts to improve instructional programs and teaching practices. More efforts are needed from principals to help build teachers’ trust in parents and students.

A Study on School Leadership Effectiveness at Secondary Level in Punjab

Leadership is the art of motivating a group of individuals to do tasks in achieving desired goals. The leader is a source of inspiration for workers. The purpose of the study was to examine the school leadership effectiveness at the secondary level in Punjab. The study was quantitative in nature and survey design was used. Three hundred principals, headmasters and headmistresses of secondary schools of districts Hafiz Abad and Sargodha were the samples of the study. For data collection, an instrument that was based on three factors i.e. anticipation, alignment and action was used. Five educational experts ensured the validity of the instrument and the Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient value was 0.86. Mean, Standard Deviation, and independent sample t-tests were applied for analysis.The findings of the study revealed that there was a significant difference between male and female heads in school leadership effectiveness. Male leaders were better in school leadership effectiveness as compared to female leaders. Training is recommended for female leaders.

Effect of school leadership on student academic achievement: school level path variables

Effect of school leadership on student academic achievement: school level path variables

A cultural lens to school leadership effects on teacher instructional practices: The mediation of teacher collective efficacy and the moderation of uncertainty avoidance

This study explores how and under what boundary conditions school leadership influences teachers’ instructional practices in Turkey. Using survey data from a sample of 928 teachers in 87 middle and high schools, the present study tested a moderated mediation model of school leadership's effects on teacher instructional practices, with teacher collective efficacy as the mediator and uncertainty avoidance perceptions of teachers as the moderator. We performed a multilevel structural equation modeling with Bayesian estimation to examine the relationships between our constructs. The results showed significant indirect effects of school leadership on teacher instructional practices with the significant mediator role of teacher collective efficacy. However, the distinct contribution of this study lies in exploring the moderator role of uncertainty avoidance on the effect of school leadership on teacher instructional practices through teacher collective efficacy. Our results enhance the field's understanding of how and to what extent cultural aspects of any given society shape the effects of school leadership practices on teaching.

Leading teacher instructional practices in Türkiye: do inner school conditions matter?

PurposeThis study tested a moderated mediation model of school leadership effects on teacher instructional practices. Specifically, the authors focused on the mediating effect of teacher professional communities and the moderating effect of instructional climate on the relationship between school leadership and teacher instructional practices.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data from 958 teachers working in 72 middle and high schools in Türkiye and employed multilevel structural equation modelling (MSEM) with Bayesian estimation to predict structural links between the study variables.FindingsResults affirmed a full mediation model where school leadership practices exerted indirect effects on teacher instructional practices through promoting teacher professional communities. The authors also found significant moderating role of instructional climate in the effect of school leadership on teacher professional communities and instructional practices.Originality/valueThis study illuminates the contextualized nature of school leadership by concluding that the effect of school leadership on teacher professional communities and instructional practices is closely tied to the extent to which a high-quality instructional climate is established in schools.

School Leadership Effectiveness as Predictor of Internal Efficiency of Public Secondary Schools in Less Developed Communities in South-South Region, Nigeria

School internal efficiency in south-south region of Nigeria; a geopolitical region perceived to be rich in natural resources has been worrisome in recent times. The study therefore investigated the relationship between school leadership effectiveness and internal efficiency of public secondary schools in less developed communities in south-south regions of Nigeria. Four research questions were raised and three hypotheses were formulated for the purpose of the study. The research design adopted for the study was a descriptive survey. A total of two hundred and forty-two (242) schools were selected through multi stage sampling technique. Two research instruments developed by the researchers and validated by seasoned education practitioners were used to collect data for the study. They are; Leadership Effectiveness of Public Senior Secondary School Questionnaire (LEPSSSQ) and Public Senior Secondary School Students Enrolment Checklist (PSSSSEC). The questionnaire was pilot tested and its reliability value was computed using the Cronbach alpha statistics which yielded 0.79. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean, standard deviation and Pearson r were used to analyse the data generated from the research questions and hypotheses respectively. It was found that principals were effective in their leadership roles performance but schools were generally inefficient amongst other findings. Based on these, it was recommended that principals should be regularly trained and retrained on effective leadership strategies that will engender and sustain high school internal efficiency despite some challenges faced in the system.

The Mediating and Moderating Effects of Knowledge Management in the Relationship between Technological Leadership Behaviors of School Principals and Data-Driven Decision-Making

The objective of this study is to contribute to the increasing database regarding the effects of school leadership on teachers’ data usage by investigating the relationship between the technological leadership behaviors of school principals and data-driven decision-making at their schools based on the mediating and moderating effects of the knowledge management variable. 408 teachers from 14 provinces of Turkey in the 2020-2021 academic year were included in the study. The School Principal Technological Leadership Competency Scale, the Knowledge Management Scale, and the Data-Driven Decision-Making in Schools Scale were used as data collection tools in this cross-sectional quantitative study. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used in data analysis. The study results demonstrate the school principals' practices of technological leadership, knowledge management at schools, and data-driven decision-making to be high. It has been found out in the study that knowledge management implementations play a mediating role in data-driven decision-making at schools by increasing the technological leadership competency levels of school principals, while not having a moderating effect on the relationship between technological leadership and data-driven decision-making. In addition, technological leadership and knowledge management have been identified to be significant and positive predictors of data-driven decision-making. Based on the study results, suggestions have been made to improve the technological leadership behaviors and knowledge management implementations of school principals at schools.

The Effect of Interpersonal Communication and School Leadership on the Performance of Junior High School Teachers in Kapuas Barat District of Kapuas Regency

The objectives to be achieved in this study are to determine and analyze: (1) The effect of interpersonal communication on the performance of junior high school teachers in West Kapuas District, Kapuas Regency and (2) The influence of the Principal's Leadership on the performance of Junior High School teachers in Kapuas District West of Kapuas Regency. The method used in this study is the explanatory method with multiple regression techniques, with 55 teachers from 10 schools in West Kapuas District as respondents. In this research, to test the hypothesis using the SPSS program tool with a multiple regression approach. The results showed that there was a positive and significant influence between interpersonal communication and teacher performance where the significance value of the results of this study was 0.000 which is smaller than the level of confidence used 0.05. Likewise, the influence of the principal's leadership on the performance of the teacher council shows a significant effect with a significant result of 0.004 and is smaller than the 0.05 confidence level.

Leadership of School Principles in The Digital Era in Building Innoving Teacher Character HR

This research examines how the leadership of the principal is in its efforts to build teachers who are characterized and innovative in this Digitalization Era. The research used in this research is a qualitative research which is described descriptively. Various sources were processed in this study such as books, research results, journals, and research articles. The results of this study suggest that over the last decade, studies of the effects of school leadership have increasingly aimed at identifying and validating the pathways through which principal leadership impacts key teaching and learning processes in schools. In addition, it was found that digital technology provides new challenges in the world of education today. Innovation is needed especially for school principals as leaders in the school sector to realize the various aspirations of the nation's education. One aspect that needs to be realized is creating human resources, namely teachers who have high character and innovation through the leadership of the school principal in this digital era. The role of the principal in this case is very important given the strategic position he holds. Through role models and strategic solutions, both traditional, interpersonal, and HR development, it is expected to be able to motivate teachers to be more creative and innovative in the teaching and learning process.