Exploring challenges in practicing instructional leadership: Insights from senior secondary principals

Abstract

In ensuring schools achieving its excellence, the role of school leaders as instructional leaders is considered as relevant and officially documented in the Malaysian Education Blueprint (PPPM) 2013-2025. Previous studies have pointed out challenges faced by principals at various educational systems can delay the implementation of instructional leadership within school contexts. Even though there are extensive literatures on instructional leadership, there is a lack of studies that explored challenges faced by school leaders while implementing instructional leadership practices within the Malaysian schools. Therefore, this qualitative study was conducted with the purpose to explore challenges and obstacles faced by secondary principals while implementing their instructional leadership practice. A total of seven senior principals who had led their schools for at least five years were interviewed. The study revealed that the secondary principals faced two main challenges: The internal and external challenges. Externally, principals faced challenges from parents and teachers' negative attitudes and even less monitoring from the school's stakeholders. In terms of internal challenges, senior principals were challenged with their limited experience and knowledge on instructional leadership which lessen their roles as a resource person to all teachers and as instructional leaders. The findings of the study had led to the practical implications for the improvement of instructional leadership practices in Malaysian secondary schools' context.