Headmaster Technology Leadership in Malaysia Elementary Schools

Headmaster technology leadership increasingly important in education today. This leadership, providing various positive effects to the headmaster, teachers, students and schools. Therefore, headmaster need to master this leadership to take up the leadership role of technology in schools. Based on the Headmaster Technology Leadership Model by Chang (2003), a study based on interviews conducted on 6 headmasters serving in Johor, Malaysia. This study aims to review i) the role of the headmaster in Johor as a technology leader in school ii) the challenges faced by headmaster to serve as a technology leader. Analysis of the findings from interviews found the headmaster in Johor play a role as a technology leader in the school. However, the findings have found the effort in ICT development by the headmaster in schools is different based on the needs of the school. Therefore, there is no single fixed pattern headmaster role as a technology leader. In addition, the role of the headmaster as a technology leader is not comprehensive of the five dimensions as suggested by Chang (2003). Headmaster of Johor advised to make improvements to the school led to the transformation of technology-based education

The Development of a New Instrument Comparing Teacher and Principal Perceptions of School Technology Leadership

Use of technology in education is rapidly growing in terms of dollars spent annually. With such enormous expenditures for schools, stewardship of human and capital resources via leadership feels vital. School technology leadership is a specialty area of educational leadership with a focus on how leaders address technology issues within their schools and guide others through successful implementation. As the body of research continues to grow, measurement instruments can assist researchers and practitioners in understanding the implementation and adoption of new technologies, and their relationship to leadership. The purpose of this study was to analyze the current literature on school technology leadership, develop an instrument to measure school technology leadership, and pilot the instrument to understand its scores and make inferences. An article manuscript is presented which analyzes the current literature through a thematic review. A second article manuscript details the development and testing of an instrument to measure school technology leadership from the perspective of teachers in regard to their principals’ technology leadership skills. The findings from this study suggest instruments measuring school technology leadership should be reviewed on an annual basis to assess whether the instrument is truly measuring what it is intended to measure and whether that corresponds with the latest literature within the field. The pilot instrument showed a difference in responses between teachers and principals in three of five dimensions analyzed. Overall, the instrument functioned well, however, additional research with a larger sample could yield better insight on the five dimensions examined

Teachers’ Belief and Practices in Teacher-Centered Empowerment Reform in Taiwan

Over the past 2 decades, Taiwan has introduced a series of decentralization reforms in school administration and curriculum. Teachers, who are at the center of these reforms, are expected to enrich their knowledge and cultivate strong beliefs regarding these reforms; the teachers’ beliefs and knowledge are not only affected by their personal profile but also by contextual factors of structure and culture at all levels. I conducted this study in order to explore these factors and determine how they affect teachers’ beliefs and practices. Qualitative methods guided this study in which a case-study approach was used. The findings of this study highlight a variety of factors that were identified by teachers. Contextual factors of structure and culture identified by the teachers include the context of the classroom, school administration and top-down authority, teachers’ culture, and government policy. The personal factors include personality, educational background and teacher preparation, demographic profiles, and teachers’ abilities. For the purpose of developing a comprehensive and culturally sensitive model of belief development, implications for practice and future research are provided

The relationship of teachers\u27 job satisfaction and their perceptions of principals\u27 leadership styles in private vocational high schools in a selected metropolitan area of Taiwan

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teachers\u27 job satisfaction and their perceptions of principals\u27 leadership styles (transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles) in the Kaohsiung Metropolitan Area of Taiwan. A secondary purpose was to examine the difference between teachers\u27 gender, educational level, and length of service in terms of their perceptions of the three different leadership styles and job satisfaction. The sample consisted of 629 full-time private vocational high school teachers. The translated Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was used to measure teachers\u27 perceptions of their principals\u27 leadership styles. The translated Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) Short Form was used to measure teachers\u27 general job satisfaction. The demographic sheet designed by the researcher was used to request subjects to provide information about gender, educational level, and length of service. Pearson product-moment correlations were computed between each leadership scale and general job satisfaction. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to predict which subset of MLQ leadership scales would most influence job satisfaction. The t test was used to compare the difference on teachers\u27 gender, educational level, and length of service with both the perceptions concerning the leadership styles of their principals and their job satisfaction. The major conclusions drawn from the study were: (a) Teachers perceived their principals\u27 leadership styles to be predominantly laissez-faire, (b) overall transformational leadership and its subscales were positively correlated with general job satisfaction, (c) female teachers perceived their principals as more transformational leaders and less laissez-faire leaders than male teachers, but there was no significant difference between male and female teachers\u27 perceptions of their principals\u27 transactional leadership style, (d) there was no significant difference between teachers with bachelor degree and less than bachelor degree nor between those who had served more and less than 10 years, in terms of their perceptions of the three different leadership styles, and (e) higher levels of job satisfaction were found among female teachers, those with bachelor degree, and those with less than 10 years of service

Complexities of Technology Integration in the Elementary Classroom Context: A Structural Equation Model Study

Effectively integrating technology into classroom instruction presents teachers with several dilemmas about their understanding of how students learn, their approach to designing learning activities, and their conceptualization of their role as teachers (Windschitl, 2002). Using the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model (Koehler & Mishra, 2005, 2009; Mishra & Koehler, 2006) as the conceptual model undergirding the research, this study was designed to build evidence towards establishing the validity and reliability of a measurement instrument employed to assess the technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge teachers utilize, as well as gain an understanding of how this knowledge is affected by teacher beliefs about technology use in classroom practice. Three contextual factors were also investigated, namely leadership support for technology, teaching self-efficacy, and traditional beliefs about children. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was selected for analyzing data gathered in this research design. The relationships among four latent factors and three latent variables were examined using measurement models to determine a final structural model. Results (N = 75) suggest that the TPACK-deep scale has potential as a measure of teachers’ beliefs about their technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge. The findings yielded by the present exploratory study pertain to Design, Exertion, Ethics, and Proficiency—which are considered the four factors of the TPACK-deep scale (Kabakci-Yurdakul et al., 2012). Furthermore, this study’s findings indicate positive predictive relationships between leadership support for technology and teachers’ beliefs about using technology in their classrooms. While positive predictive relationships between teachers’ teaching self-efficacy and their beliefs about technology integration in classroom practice were found, no statistically significant association between teachers’ beliefs about using technology and their traditional beliefs about children could be established for three (Design, Exertion, Ethics) of the four TPACK-deep factors under investigation

Kepimpinan teknologi pengetua dan pengintegrasian teknologi guru di sekolah menengah kebangsaan di negeri Kedah

The Malaysian Education Blueprint (2013-2025) demands that ICT integration in schools be implemented based on the standards proposed by International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Previous studies only researched the relationship between Principals’ Technology Leadership (as a whole) and Teachers’ Technology Integration. Furthermore, almost no studies have been conducted to see the effect of the five ISTE-Standards for Administrators (2014) constructs separately on Teachers’ Technology Integration in classrooms. In addition, Professional Development needs of principals in ICT have not been emphasized in previous studies. This research measures the level, effect and relationship between Principals’ Technology Leadership and Teachers Technology Integration. Besides this, the effect of each construct of ISTE towards Teachers Technology Intergration is also measured. This quantitative research used three standard instruments. The Principals Technology Leadership Assessment based on ISTE-Standards for Administrators (2014) and Survey of Technology Experiences' were used for principals’ while the Learning with ICT instruments: Measuring ICT Use in the Curriculum was used for teachers. In this cross sectional survey, a total of 88 principals and 645 teachers were selected through systematic random sampling from the same national secondary schools in Kedah. Findings showed that Principals’ Technology Leadership and Teachers’ Technology Integration were at high levels. Nevertheless, the relationships of the five constructs of the ISTE-Standards for Administrators (2014), which are Visionary Leadership, Digital Age Learning Culture, Excellence in Professional Practice, Systematic Improvement and Digital Citizenship with Teachers’ Technology Integration were insignificant. Principals’ Professional Development did not have a moderating effect on the relationship between the five constructs of Principals Technology Integration and Teachers’ Technology Integration. This study will contribute to the education system by suggesting that the Ministry of Education designs a standard for education technology so that it can be a reference for technology leaders in schools. This study will contribute to the education system by suggesting that the Ministry of Education designs a standard for education technology so that it can be a reference for technology leaders in schools. Further studies on effective Professional Development for school technology leaders should be carried out. The findings contribute to the development of the Transformational Theory and the Anderson and Dexter’s Model

Relationship Among Supervisors\u27 Transformational and Transactional Leadership Styles, and Teachers\u27 Job Satisfaction in Taiwan Higher Education

This study examined the influence of supervisors\u27 transformational and transactional leadership styles on job satisfaction of college and university in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between supervisors\u27 transformational and transactional leadership styles, and the satisfaction of Taiwan\u27s higher education instructors. The number of teachers at the university level in Taiwan rose 36.8% from 1951 to 2004; therefore faculty job satisfaction is an important issue. Schools want to keep their faculty and reputation to maintain a competitive edge. This non-experimental, quantitative, explanatory correlation and explanatory comparative survey research explores the relationship between supervisors\u27 transformational and transactional leadership styles and the job satisfaction of Taiwan\u27s college and university faculty. This study utilized two questionnaires and five demographic and work profiles. The two questionnaires were: The transformational leadership and transactional leadership of the MLQ-5x short-form developed by Bass and Avolio (1995), and Teacher Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (TJSQ) developed by Lester (1984). In this study, 500 full-time teachers in Taiwan higher education were randomly selected. These questionnaires were mailed to them along with an introduction letter and a consent form. One hundred and fifty-seven of the 500 survey instruments were returned, yielding a return rate of 31%. Thirty were excluded, leaving 127 valid-survey instruments. The data were analyzed using the statistical software program SPSS12.0. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, independent t-test and multiple regression analysis. The study found that teachers who perceived transformational leadership were the most satisfied with their jobs. In contrast, teachers who perceived transactional leadership reported less job satisfaction. In addition, Taiwanese higher education teachers with the most teaching experience were the more satisfied. Teacher job satisfaction increased with years of teaching experience. This study was limited to the relationship between supervisors\u27 transformational and transactional leadership styles, and teachers\u27 job satisfaction in higher education institutions in Taiwan. Future studies should add laissez-faire leadership to the research questions and hypotheses

Relationship Between Technology Leadership, ICT Facility, Competency, Commitments Towards Effectiveness of School Mangement Tasks in Schools

Previous studies more engaged to the level of technology leadership and the characteristics of technological leadership practiced by leaders in the school, while the factors of a more comprehensive which include facilities for ICT, competence, and commitment of teachers in the practices of applying ICT in the management which contributes a great impact on the management duties of teachers in schools has not been studied in Malaysia. The purpose of this study is to identify whether there is a positive relationship between technology leadership, ICT facilities, competence, commitment and practice of applying ICT teachers with effective management duties of teachers in schools using ICT. This quantitative study involves 370 teachers in secondary schools in the Kedah state which were selected randomly. The findings from the analysis of the study using the smartPLS show that there is a significant relationship between the leadership of technology by principals in school and the effectiveness of teacher-management tasks using computers in management tasks. Leadership that practices high technology leadership features will have a positive impact on the effectiveness of ICT integration within the organization. Further study can be conducted with integrating UTAUT model to identify critical factors that contributing technology leadership in schools