Abstract 

This qualitative research investigates the growing social activism against the trend of desecularization within non-religious state education in Israel, employing a social movement framework. By conducting in-depth interviews with 20 individuals engaged in this activism, the study examined the ideological frameworks of the actors, their perceived organizational structures for mobilization, and their view of political opportunities used to uphold secular principles in the Israeli educational system. The study contributes to social movement research by highlighting secular motivations, often overlooked in favor of faith-based activism, and addresses the limited literature on desecularization in public education. It also underscores the non-linear progress of secularization and liberalism in Israel, noting a sense that the tendency toward desecularization has been gaining momentum in certain parts of society. This research enhances understanding of desecularization as a social movement in education and informs broader discussions on the intersections of religion, culture, and governance in democracies.

Abstract

This qualitative study explored ethical perceptions in primary school homeroom teaching, focusing on ethical caring. Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted with Israeli homeroom teachers (grades 1-2) in Arab (n=20) and Jewish (n=20) state primary schools (39 women). Thematic analysis identified four themes that represent various facets of emotional and instrumental caring of these educators in the professional context, encompassing both in-role and extra-role commitments. The first theme, “care without limits,” shows teachers’ deep emotional connections beyond formal duties. The second, “emotional care,” reflects empathy integrated into assigned tasks. The third, “care for promoting academic success or socialization,” describes caring as a tool to enhance learning and socialization. The fourth, “contractual care,” portrays a task-oriented, minimal approach. The study suggests teachers could benefit from training on ethical dimensions, schools should support navigating ethical dilemmas, and policymakers can use these findings to enhance teacher evaluation and professional development, ultimately improving education quality.

Abstract

The COVID-19 crisis has affected many aspects of life, including education. One of the main groups of actors that took part in the leadership and management of the crisis in education during the pandemic was that of school principals. This study examined the leadership practices that were viewed as effective by school principals during the COVID-19 crisis and how these practices corresponded with the guidelines formulated by Schechter et al. (2024). This qualitative study was based on interviews with 20 school principals in Israel who had at least five years of seniority, working with students of different age groups in various regions of the country. The participating principals were selected by purposive sampling. We analysed the qualitative data with a deductive approach, using directed content analysis, where the guidelines of Schechter et al. (2024) served as the primary guide to coding. The eight strategies were divided into 22 practices. Additionally, principals’ accounts revealed a multifaceted pyramid of actions that leaders adopt during crises, combining universal strategies with tailored and infrequent ones to effectively navigate challenges. The findings and their implications are discussed.

Abstract

The research explored the role of organisational support for generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in predicting middle leaders’ GenAI integration in school leadership work, with a focus on GenAI self-efficacy and valuing as mediators of that effect. The study was based on social cognition theory and a sample of 277 Israeli middle leaders from public elementary and secondary schools. The data were analysed using SPSS and the PROCESS macro. The findings indicate that support for GenAI positively influences both GenAI self-efficacy and valuing but only GenAI self-efficacy emerged as a significant mediator. The results expand the limited empirical scholarship on AI in school leadership, most of which is non-empirical. The results suggest that middle leaders’ confidence in their ability to use GenAI plays a critical role in their engagement with the technology and that organisational support helps promote GenAI adoption. Middle leaders’ GenAI self-efficacy was shown to play a key role in channeling the beneficial effect of school support on integration in practice. The results and their implications are discussed.

Abstract 

This study examined the moderating influence of transformational leadership on the relationship between social justice leadership and teachers’ psychological capital to seek empirical evidence for the impact of the transformative social justice leadership framework. The research was conducted with 991 teachers across 97 schools using multilevel structural equation modeling. The findings demonstrated significant positive associations between principals’ social justice leadership and transformational leadership practices with all dimensions of psychological capital: self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism. Furthermore, the interaction between social justice leadership and transformational leadership was positively associated with all dimensions of psychological capital. The study revealed that principals’ high levels of transformational leadership enhanced social justice leadership’s capacity to improve teachers’ psychological capital. These findings highlight the potential of integrating transformational and social justice leadership into a unified framework, conceptualised as transformative social justice leadership, and its critical role in enhancing teachers’ self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism, particularly in times of intense educational, political, and economic pressure.

Abstract

Given the demanding nature of their managerial positions and obligations, school leaders frequently struggle with work-family conflict. This qualitative study investigates the lived experiences of work-family conflict and coping mechanisms used by male school leaders. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 60 male school leaders. The findings describe the perception of management as demanding; the degree of involvement in raising the children; work-family conflict experiences and strategies for dealing with them. The findings revealed that all school leaders experienced work-family conflicts and difficulties in meeting the requirements of their professional positions and household chores. Differences between the participants were found in the level of experiencing the conflict. The study revealed a connection between the perception of the management role as a demanding one and a high level of work-family conflict, and between coping strategies associated with an internal locus of control and a low level of work-family conflict. The study contributes to the broader understanding of the work-family conflict of male educational leaders in the West at times of changing notions of manhood and fatherhood, offering insights for policymakers and school leaders on improving workplace conditions, promoting sustainable effective leadership, and achieving better work-family balance.

Abstract

The study investigated the link between principals’ awareness of their effect on teachers’ emotional reframing (i.e., a form of interpersonal emotion regulation aiding in cognitive reappraisal) and variables pertinent to school leadership, positive emotions, and organizational commitment. Data were collected from 69 primary schools, with 69 principals self-reporting on their influence on teachers’ emotional reframing and 639 teachers reporting on their principals’ influence (using an adaptation of Gross and John’s (2003) ERQ measure). The self-other rating agreement perspective enabled us to categorize principals into four groups based on the variance between their own assessment of teachers’ emotional reframing and the teachers’ ratings: over-estimators, under-estimators, in-agreement/good leaders, and in-agreement/poor leaders. The teachers also assessed the principals’ transformational leadership, collective positive emotions, and collective affective organizational commitment. Analyses revealed that primarily under-estimators and in-agreement/good leaders were associated with higher levels of principals’ transformational leadership, teachers’ collective positive emotions, and teachers’ collective organizational commitment to the school. Almost no differences emerged between over-estimators and in-agreement/poor leaders, which were associated with lower levels of school leadership, positive emotions, and commitment. The findings suggest that principals’ awareness of their influence on teachers’ emotional reframing fosters a conducive environment for positive leadership behaviors, emotional climate, and organizational commitment within schools. The theoretical implications attest to the significance of interpersonal emotion regulation in shaping organizational dynamics, and the practical implications point to the importance of interventions aimed at enhancing principals’ understanding of their influence on teachers’ emotional processes for nurturing a positive school culture.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper explores the gender stereotypes associated with feminine and masculine management and leadership styles in schools.

Design

The study adopted a survey-based approach, utilizing an inventory tool, to examine the traits and behaviours perceived by teachers as characterizing feminine and masculine management and leadership styles. The study involved a gender-diverse sample of 398 Israeli teachers from various educational backgrounds and experiences. Participants were presented with a list of traits and behaviours typically associated with management and leadership styles and were asked to rank them based on their perception of the extent to which they reinforce gender stereotypes.

Findings

Mixed-design ANOVA analyses revealed the traits and behaviours that were perceived as the most gender-stereotypical in both feminine and masculine management and leadership styles.

Originality

The findings contribute to our understanding of the gender biases and expectations that may influence perceptions of effective school management and leadership. The research may inform efforts to promote gender equality and unbiased leadership in educational institutions.

Abstract

Purpose- This study investigated the relationships between leadership styles (transformational, transactional, and passive) and teachers’ autonomous motivation (intrinsic and identified) in teachers with high and low levels of organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB).

Design- In a sample of 651 teachers from Israeli schools, several groups were identified: 107 teachers with the highest OCB scores (saints), 104 teachers with the lowest OCB scores (sinners), and 440 teachers with OCB scores in the middle range. Findings- Regression analysis indicated that the intrinsic motivation of OCB saints was significantly predicted by passive leadership style, whereas that of the OCB norm by transformational leadership style. The analysis further indicated that the identified motivation of OCB sinners was significantly predicted by transactional leadership style, whereas that of the OCB norm by transformational leadership style.

Originality- The results challenge the assumption of a one-size-fits-all approach to “effective” principals’ leadership styles and suggest that to cultivate teachers’ autonomous motivation they should be treated differently in leadership efforts. The implications of the study may be useful in improving school effectiveness and designing training programs for school leaders to enhance their leadership skills.

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 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.