INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN SCHOOLS: TEACHER DEVELOPMENT, SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/52m2y005Abstract
Instructional leadership plays an important role in strengthening teacher development, school improvement, organizational commitment, and student-focused educational outcomes. This study examined these dimensions within an integrated school leadership framework. A quantitative secondary-data-based cross-sectional design was used. Data were obtained from the publicly available Perceived Leadership Styles of Principals and Personal Commitment of Teachers in School Education source. Following data screening and removal of duplicate records, 1,138 teacher responses were analyzed. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, Pearson correlation, and linear regression were applied. Task-oriented, recognition, and supportive leadership emerged as the more prominent leadership dimensions. Instructional leadership showed positive associations with teacher development, organizational commitment, student-oriented commitment, and achievement-related outcomes. Female teachers generally reported stronger scores across the major study constructs, while marital-status differences were more selective. Regression analysis showed that instructional leadership significantly contributed to teacher development, organizational commitment, and student-oriented commitment. In the broader achievement model, instructional leadership and teacher commitment dimensions jointly contributed to the outcome. Instructional leadership appears to function as an important organizational and professional mechanism linking teacher development, school culture, and student-focused outcomes. Strengthening supportive, recognition-oriented, and task-focused leadership practices may help schools improve professional commitment and overall institutional functioning.
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