Do beliefs make a difference? Exploring how principal self-efficacy and instructional leadership impact teacher efficacy and commitment in Iran

Abstract

Although the knowledge base on instructional leadership is quite well developed in Western societies empirical studies have only recently begun to emerge in the developing societies of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The current study was undertaken to fill a gap in leadership research in Iran, where there have been no prior studies of principal instructional leadership (PIL). The current study sought to understand the relationship between principal self-efficacy, instructional leadership, teacher collective efficacy and teacher organizational commitment in Iranian primary schools. Survey data collected from 111 principals and 345 teachers were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results confirmed the proposed conceptual model affirming the impact of both principal and teacher beliefs (i.e. self-efficacy) on their behaviors and on teacher commitment. More specifically, the SEM results identified robust, positive and statistically significant relationships among the constructs. These findings extend prior research by revealing how leader self-efficacy beliefs and instructional leadership behaviors interact to shape collective teacher efficacy and commitment. This research makes a distinct contribution not only to school leadership research in Iran, but also to the growing body of research on the effects of PIL in non-Western, developing societies.

School principal self-efficacy for instructional leadership: relations with engagement, emotional exhaustion and motivation to quit

“…Despite differences in measures of principal self-efficacy the available research indicates that principal self-efficacy is associated with principal well-being and motivation as well as adaptive leadership functioning. Principal self-efficacy has been shown to be positively associated with engagement (Federici and Skaalvik 2011), job satisfaction (Federici and Skaalvik 2012), persistence in pursuing goals (Osterman and Sullivan 1996), motivation for retaining in the principal position (Dimmock and Hattie 1996), the quality of supervision of teachers (Licklider and Niska 1993), collective teacher efficacy (Hallinger et al 2018), and effort to influence teacher attitudes and behaviors (see Hallinger et al 2018). Principal self-efficacy has also been shown to be negatively related to burnout and motivation to leave the principal position (Federici and Skaalvik 2012).…”

“…Traditionally, the role of the school principal may be described as one emphasizing bureaucratic and management responsibilities, for instance responsibility for the school economy, facilities, schedules, and personnel (Hallinger et al 2018). During the last decades, the responsibility of the school principals in many countries has been extended to all aspects of the school management, including student learning, the development of goals and visions, establishing evaluation procedures, and the development of a safe and stimulating learning environment (e.g., Møller and Ottesen 2011;Point et al 2008).…”

Avaliação da influência da liderança transformacional do diretor de escola sobre o desempenho dos alunos: Análise a partir de microdados da Prova Brasil

“…Para Hallinger (2018), estudiosos em todo o mundo estão trabalhando para incrementar as bases de conhecimento em liderança e gestão educacional. No entanto, apenas recentemente estudos empíricos começaram a emergir nas sociedades em desenvolvimento da Ásia, África e América Latina (Hallinger, Hosseingholizadeh, Hashemi, & Kouhsari, 2018). Segundo a UNESCO (2014), nos últimos anos a liderança gerencial tornou-se uma questão estratégica nas políticas educacionais, embora apenas recentemente a América Latina parece estar se conscientizando acerca da importância de incluir a promoção da liderança escolar entre as políticas educacionais.…”

Factors that Influence Undergraduate University Desertion According to Students Perspective

“…F3: teacher's commitment to the student refers to the principles a teacher expresses for the academic and human development of the students. An understanding of teaching competencies communicates the student's potential to engage in the teacher's work with initiative, flexibility, and autonomy [67]. This factor is relevant to students' university desertion because the integration of knowledge, abilities, motivation, and values, when expressed through effective teaching, ethics and social commitment, motivates students to continue their studies.…”