Abstract

Research on the effect of COVID-19 and its aftermath on education is gaining momentum. Nevertheless, this expanding contemporary literature only scarcely addresses principals’ digital instructional leadership and has not investigated how principals’ regular instructional leadership aligns with it. Moreover, the emerging writing on the aftermath of COVID-19 notes the phenomenon of teacher shortages in schools as a result of a growing tendency of teachers to leave the profession, but the possible connection with various forms of principals’ instructional leadership remains unexplored. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of combinations of different levels of principals’ regular instructional leadership and digital instructional leadership on teachers’ intention to leave. Cluster analysis of data of 267 school teachers in Israel was conducted. The results indicate an association between differences in teachers’ intention to leave the profession and mixtures of regular and digital instructional leadership. The results and their implications are discussed.

Abstract

This study highlights the growing significance of integrating digital technology into instructional leadership in schools. Educational administration research cannot ignore the fact that digital technology has become an integral part of human interactions and organisational processes in 21st-century workplaces. This paper aims to explore digital instructional leadership behaviours of principals during the COVID-19 pandemic and explain behavioural differences in leadership related to different levels of socio-economic school settings. Data were collected through an online study from 380 teachers in Bahrain. We used a series of two-sample t-tests between percentages to compare differences in digital instructional leadership behaviours. The study revealed that means of principals’ digital instructional leadership behaviours were generally higher in schools serving student populations with a high rather than low socio-economic background. Principals in schools serving student populations with low socio-economic background were higher than their peers only in one digital instructional leadership behaviours, and this was related to socio-economic gaps. The study contributes to better understanding of digital instructional leadership, an approach that is becoming highly prevalent because of the pandemic, and sheds light on how levels of principals’ behaviours vary in different circumstances. Overall, the findings attest to the presence of a digital instructional leadership divide.

Abstract

This study investigated the coverage of desecularization in Israeli non-religious public education in national and local newspapers from 2016 to 2022. We conducted a content analysis and coded key elements for each article, such as the activists who carried out or opposed the desecularization activity and their narratives, arguments for and against desecularization, and resistance practices. The dominant media narratives depicted the process of desecularization as intentional and organized. The Ministry of Education appeared to be ambivalent about it: on one hand, it approved and funded desecularization activities, and on the other, it served as an address for complaints. The reports suggest that the sum of micro-processes can add up to a macro phenomenon of desecularization. Teachers and principals were frequently perceived as the initiators and enablers of desecularization. Last, the findings indicate that parents and social activists resist secularization through diverse collective and individual strategies.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of teachers’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the relationship between principals’ perceived distributed leadership and organizational learning capability at the school.
Design

The study employs a quantitative research design and a survey methodology. Data were collected from 400 teachers in Bahrain.
Findings

The results reveal that teachers’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation fully mediates the relationship between principals’ perceived distributed leadership and organizational learning capability at the school.
Originality

The study contributes to the literature on distributed leadership, organizational learning, and motivation by highlighting the important mediating role of teachers’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the relationship between principals’ perceived distributed leadership and organizational learning capability. The study also has practical implications for school administrators by suggesting that distributed leadership practices can be an effective strategy for promoting organizational learning capability in schools.

Abstract

This paper presents a qualitative study of the interactions between public kindergarten teachers and their superintendents, using the symbolic interaction theoretical framework. The purpose of the study was to gain insight into the meaning-making processes and social dynamics that occur in these interactions, specifically monitoring ones. The study is based on interviews with 24 kindergarten teachers in Israel. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach that focused on identifying the key themes and patterns in the participants’ experiences and perspectives. The findings reveal two key themes that emerged from the interactions between kindergarten teachers and superintendents: the centrality of visibility, with teachers expressing a desire to be seen by superintendents, and the significant effect that the superintendents’ visits to kindergartens had on the teachers’ experiences and practices. Teachers regarded the visits as opportunities to showcase their skills and achievements, but the visits also generated anxiety and pressure to perform well. The study offers insights into the nature of the teacher-superintendent relationship in kindergartens and provides a foundation for future research in this area.

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated the perceptions of masculinity and fatherhood of male school leaders and their perceptions associated with leadership practice. We used purposive sampling to recruit male Israeli school leaders for participation in the study. We collected the data by semi-structured interviews, which we then subjected to thematic analysis. The results indicate that the participants were divided between hegemonic and caring views of masculinity. By contrast, two-thirds of the leaders held an emotional view of fatherhood, and only one-third had an instrumental view. The results shed light also on the perceived connection of leaders’ masculinity and fatherhood views with their leadership practice. The findings and contributions of the study are discussed.

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the gendered constructions of good management by men school leaders. The research participants were 30 men school leaders in Israel, selected through purposive sampling. The study aimed to identify the dominant discourses of masculinity and how they shaped ideal school leadership practices. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with the participants and used thematic analysis to explore the data. The findings suggest that the participants constructed good management using two prototypes of masculinity: hegemonic and caring. Hegemonic masculinity was associated with traditional managerial styles, such as being focused on the task and achieving excellence, using charismatic-visionary behaviours and a focus on resources and organizational structure. By contrast, caring masculinity involves more empowering behaviour styles, concern for others, and the distribution of power. To be regarded as good managers, some participants adopted an androgynous management style, indicating the ongoing struggles associated with the gender experiences of current men leaders.

Abstract

The knowledge about principals’ digital transformational leadership in schools is scarce. This lacuna is problematic because recently many countries switched to remote schooling and online learning models during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new situation changed the principal’s role to one of distant digital leadership, working with teachers and students remotely. The present study aims to investigate principals’ digital transformational leadership and its outcomes. The research is based on data from 380 teachers in Bahrain. The findings and their implications for effective remote schooling are discussed.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused education systems to embrace remote schooling and online learning. In the context of this dramatic change, the principal’s role has also changed. Instead of interacting face to face, school leaders had to become distant leaders operating digitally. The field has no knowledge of digital instructional leadership. The study used new and adapted measures to explore principals’ digital instructional leadership, its mechanisms of operation, and its outcomes. In particular, the research examined how digital instructional leadership affects perceived student learning in online settings through teachers’ intrinsic motivation for digital instruction (i.e. the mediator). The study used data from 380 teachers in Bahrain. Results indicated support for mediation. This is an empirical exploratory study, and therefore it is limited in scope. Nevertheless, its concepts, measures, and findings offer valuable contributions to research and practice. The limitations, findings, and implications of the study are discussed. The significance of the study derives from the growing incorporation of hybrid schooling in education and digital instructional leadership practices in mainstream principalship.