scholarly journals AMALAN KEPIMPINAN INSTRUKSIONAL GURU BESAR DI SEKOLAH VERNAKULAR NEGERI SELANGOR DAN WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN

2018 ◽  
pp. 109-132
Author(s):  
DONNIE ADAMS ◽  
RAVADHI PERIASAMY ◽  
EDWARD DEVADASON ◽  
SATINAH AWANG
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
School Leader ◽  
Instructional Leader ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Structured Interviews

Abstrak Kajian kualitatif ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji amalan kepimpinan instruksional guru besar di Sekolah Vernakular Negeri Selangor dan Wilayah Persekutuan. Kajian ini menggunakan temu bual separa berstruktur terhadap 14 orang guru besar di dua jenis sekolah vernakular, iaitu Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SRJK (T)) dan Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SRJK(C)) yang terletak di kawasan bandar dan pinggir bandar. Teknik persampelan bertujuan yang dijalankan di dua jenis sekolah ini mendapati bahawa guru besar memahami tugas mereka untuk meningkatkan amalan pengajaran melalui penyeliaan guru. Dapatan juga menunjukkan amalan kepimpinan guru besar dalam memantau kualiti pengajaran dan pembelajaran di sekolah dijalankan dalam pelbagai kaedah. Kajian ini turut menunjukkan bahawa sebahagian daripada tugas dan harapan guru besar di Malaysia adalah selari dengan ciri-ciri dalam kepimpinan instruksional. Dalam konteks lain pula, beban kerja seorang guru besar dan keperluan untuk membuat pelaporan telah mendatangkan pelbagai cabaran berterusan kepada mereka semasa menjalankan tugas sebagai seorang pemimpin instruksional. Implikasi daripada kajian ini mempamerkan realiti kontemporari peranan guru besar dan amalan kepimpinan instruksional mereka di sekolah vernakular di Malaysia. Kesimpulannya, kajian ini menunjukkan kepimpinan instruksional dibina atas pengaruh sosial, politik dan budaya. Kata kunci: Amalan kepimpinan instruksional, pemimpin instruksional, guru besar. Abstract The purpose of this qualitative study is to outline school leaders’ instructional leadership practices in Selangor and Federal Territory Vernacular Schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 primary school leaders from Chinese Schools (SRJK(C)) and Tamil Schools (SRJK (T)) in urban and suburban areas in Malaysia. The sampling technique utilised in two of these schools generated findings which showed that the school leaders understood their duties in improving instructional practice through supervision of teachers. Findings also showed school leaders’ leadership practices in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in schools was done in many ways. The research also demonstrated some of the duties and hope of the school leaders’ in Malaysia as being particularly congruent with the features of instructional leadership practices. In another context, the workload of a school leader and the need for reporting has led to a series of challenges for them in carrying out their duties as instructional leaders. The implication of this study demonstrates the current reality of the roles of school leaders and their instructional leadership roles in vernacular schools in Malaysia. In conclusion, this research shows that instructional leadership is built on social, political and cultural influences. Keywords: Instructional leadership practices, instructional leader, school leader.

scholarly journals Instructional Leadership in Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6S3) ◽  
pp. 537-547
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
The Right ◽  
Improving Student Achievement

Leadership of school leaders regardless principals or headmasters is among the key factors that can affect the academic achievement of students directly or indirectly. Based on previous research, a strong relationship between student achievement and leadership of school leaders was proven. The Ministry of Education Malaysia (MoE) has outlined three approaches to improving student achievement through the improvement of school leaders' performance. One of the approaches is school leaders should act as instructional leaders who are actively involved in teacher development activities by planning, coordinating and evaluating the teaching and learning process (T&L) at school. This concept paper will discuss several matters related to instructional leadership such as background and development of instructional leadership, instructional leadership definitions, the development of instructional leadership concepts, instructional leadership models and the issues and challenges that exist in implementing this leadership styles. The analysis was done in the context of Malaysia and abroad. The paper is written based on extensive secondary data analysis. After analyzing matters relating to instructional leadership, it can be concluded that instructional leadership is a form of leadership that every school leader needs to practice for excellence achievements in a school. With a lot of challenges nowadays, it needs to be addressed so that the direction of the school is on the right track and students’ achievement can be enhanced.

School Leader Perceptions: Coaching Tool and Process

2019 ◽  
pp. 194277511986825
Author(s):  
Sharon J. Damore ◽  
Barbara Stacy Rieckhoff
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
School Leader ◽  
Instructional Leaders ◽  
Teacher Growth ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Interview Process ◽  
Leader Perceptions ◽  
Professional Conversations

This study extends previous work and builds upon the use of a prescribed coaching tool in an effort to build the capacity of school leaders in the role of instructional coaches. By using a reflective interview process and structured protocol, the authors present findings to suggest administrators need more intentional training to strengthen their role as instructional leaders. The results were organized under three themes: (a) instructional leadership growth, (b) teacher growth, and (c) professional conversations. Historically, minimal training that utilizes explicit tools and strategies to strengthen administrator’s roles as instructional leaders has been provided.

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

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alma Harris ◽  
Michelle Jones ◽  
Kenny Soon Lee Cheah ◽  
Edward Devadason ◽  
Donnie Adams
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Instructional Leaders ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Leadership Practice ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The 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/approach This 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. Findings The 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/implications This is a small-scale, exploratory study involving 30 principals. Practical implications There 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/value The 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.

scholarly journals INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP OF SCHOOL PRINCIPALS IN SABAH ISLAND: A CASE STUDY

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (40) ◽  
pp. 293-307
Author(s):  
Dexter Silam ◽  
Vincent Pang ◽  
Denis Lajium
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Global Education ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Instructional Programs ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Observation Methods

In the 21st century, the basic concept of instructional leadership has not changed much but its needs are still relevant and have become an important pulse for principals’ leadership towards the achievement of curricular excellence in schools. This study aims to identify instructional leadership practices and their implementation by island school principals in the state of Sabah. The qualitative study using this case study approach involved principals, senior curriculum assistants, and school subject teachers as study participants. The study data collected through interview, document analysis, and observation methods were processed and analyzed using ATLAS software. ti 8. The findings of the study show that the practice of instructional leadership in terms of defining the mission of the school, managing instructional programs, and creating a positive school climate is very important to ensure school excellence can be achieved. Principals of island schools should practice instructional leadership in their leadership not just to achieve curricular excellence but as a platform to perform their responsibilities as change leaders in schools in driving schools towards effective schools according to current changes. In conclusion, the instructional leadership practices of school principals are very important in ensuring curriculum excellence and the effectiveness of teachers' teaching and learning can be achieved in a planned and systematic manner and able to keep up with the current changes in the context of global education.

scholarly journals Teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences of principals’ instructional leadership towards improving curriculum delivery in schools

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Chabalala ◽  
Parvathy Naidoo
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Mission Statement ◽  
Instructional Leaders ◽  
Learning Climate ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Curriculum Delivery

Background: This study was designed to explore teachers’ and middle managers’ experiences regarding their principals’ instructional leadership practices aimed at improving curriculum delivery in schools. Literature on instructional leadership indicates how failing schools can be turned around to become successful if principals consider instructional leadership to be their primary role within schools. The authors, therefore, argue that it is the responsibility of principals to ensure that learners’ results are improved through intervention and support provided by the principals to capacitate teachers and middle managers in delivering the curriculum effectively. Globally, literature promotes the significance of the continued professional development of teachers, and many scholars allude to the pivotal role principals or school heads play in teachers’ skills advancement.Aim: The aim of this article was to identify principals’ instructional practices that improve curriculum delivery in schools, which are examined through the experiences of teachers and middle managers.Setting: The study was conducted in two schools in the Gauteng province of South Africa.Method: The researchers employed a qualitative approach, utilising three domains of instructional leadership as its framework, and these are defining the school mission statement, managing the instructional programme and promoting a positive school learning climate. Four teachers and four middle managers were purposefully selected at two schools for data collection conducted through semi-structured individual interviews, which were analysed using thematic content analysis.Results: Three themes emerged, namely, understanding good instructional leadership practices, teacher development as an instructional practice and instructional resource provisioning.Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of teachers and middle managers in understanding that principals are merely not school managers or administrators, but rather instructional leaders whose primary role is to direct teaching and learning processes in schools. Principals need to create time within their constricted schedules to become instructional leaders, which is their main purpose in schools. If the roles and responsibilities of middle managers are not explicit, their ability to simultaneously perform the dual task of being teachers and middle managers will be compromised.

The Role of Departmental Heads in the Procurement of Teaching and Learning Resources to Enhance Learner Performance

2021 ◽  
pp. 112-126
Author(s):  
Sizwe Blessing Mahlambi ◽  
Ailwei Solomon Mawela
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Learning Resources ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learner Performance

This chapter introduces transformative learning as a helpful theory to consider the role of departmental heads in the procurement of teaching and learning resources in selected secondary schools in Alexandra Township, South Africa. South Africa felt the effects of the pandemic as the country was ill-prepared for the devastation the pandemic brought to its learning systems. The Department of Basic Education tried to implement various strategies to ensure that teaching and learning continue to save the academic year. In this qualitative study, the interpretive paradigm and a purposive convenient sampling technique were employed to sample five mathematics DH from five secondary schools. The thematic data analysis was used to interpret and discuss data obtained from the document and semi-structured interviews. It was found that the schools did not have teaching and learning resources that could allow remote learning. Moreover, there is a need to improve retrieval practices as resources loaned to learners remain unaccounted for.

District offices fostering educational change through instructional leadership practices in Australian Catholic secondary schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 501-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Wilkinson ◽  
Christine Edwards-Groves ◽  
Peter Grootenboer ◽  
Stephen Kemmis
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Educational Change ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
District Office ◽  
Major Reform ◽  
District Offices

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how Catholic district offices support school leaders’ instructional leadership practices at times of major reform.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs the theory of practice architectures as a lens through which to examine local site-based responses to system-wide reforms in two Australian Catholic secondary schools and their district offices. Data collection for these parallel case studies included semi-structured interviews, focus groups, teaching observations, classroom walkthroughs and coaching conversations.FindingsFindings suggest that in the New South Wales case, arrangements of language and specialist discourses associated with a school improvement agenda were reinforced by district office imperatives. These imperatives made possible new kinds of know-how, ways of working and relating to district office, teachers and students when it came to instructional leading. In the Queensland case, the district office facilitated instructional leadership practices that actively sought and valued practitioners’ input and professional judgment.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focussed on two case studies of district offices supporting school leaders’ instructional leadership practices at times of major reform. The findings are not generalizable.Practical implicationsPractically, the studies suggest that for excellent pedagogical practice to be embedded and sustained over time, district offices need to work with principals to foster communicative spaces that promote explicit dialogue between teachers and leaders’ interpretive categories.Social implicationsThe paper contends that responding to the diversity of secondary school sites requires district office practices that reject a one size fits all formulas. Instead, district offices must foster site-based education development.Originality/valueThe paper adopts a practice theory approach to its study of district support for instructional leader’ practices. A practice approach rejects a one size fits all approach to educational change. Instead, it focusses on understanding how particular practices come to be in specific sites, and what kinds of conditions make their emergence possible. As such, it leads the authors to consider whether and how different practices such as district practices of educational reforming or principals’ instructional leading might be transformed, or conducted otherwise, under other conditions of possibility.

scholarly journals On Leadership: Who are the real experts in your school system?

2020 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-61
Author(s):  
Joshua P. Starr
Keyword(s):  
New Jersey ◽  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
School System ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Literacy Program ◽  
The Real ◽  
Central Offices ◽  
Wrong Place

Experts have long sought systems to spur improvements in teaching and learning. PDK’s Joshua P. Starr reflects on how, in the 1990s, his Plainfield, New Jersey, district implemented walk-throughs to determine how well teachers and schools were implementing the district’s literacy program. Classroom visitors had a list of items to look for, and they made recommendations to school leaders based on what they saw. Although such a system has merit, Starr now questions whether it placed the expertise in the wrong place. Central offices have evolved to focus more on compliance and operations than on instructional leadership. As districts make decisions about how to get students back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic, they might be best served to look to teachers for understanding about how best to serve students.

scholarly journals Policy and identification: Exploring the influence of identity perceptions on school leader sense-making in the Swedish school-age Educare

2020 ◽  
pp. 089202062095359
Author(s):  
Richard Andersson
Keyword(s):  
School Leaders ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Educational Programme ◽  
School Leader ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Professional Lives ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
System Data ◽  
Extended Education

Understanding and implementing educational reform policies is a daily practice in the professional lives of school actors. The discrepancy between how reforms are intended and later realised in the local context constitutes an ongoing discussion spanning multiple areas of research. This article adds to prior research by exploring the role of organisational identity perceptions and identification in school leader sense-making within the process of implementing policy in the Swedish extended education system. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with selected school leaders ( n = 11). Findings showed that school leaders made sense of the policy in contrasting ways depending on values assigned to perceived core attributes of the managed educational programme. Findings also suggest that school leaders’ identification or nonidentification with traditional identity-aspects of their organisation, and prospective identity-outcomes of the policy, influenced actions taken in response to the policy demands.

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