PRINCIPAL INSTRUCTIONAL MANAGEMENT AS PERCEIVED BY PUBLIC SCHOOL

TEACHERS IN BIAN DISTRICT

Chapter 1:


INTRODUCTION



Education systems in many developing countries are being decentralized. The role of the
school principal from school building manager to instructional leader is redefined by the
decentralization and school-based management. The core responsibility of the principal is to
ensure quality teaching and learning in the classroom. However, some principals in Asia are not
prepared for this new role and new focus. Authority for making decisions for school
improvement is devolving to the school-level which puts unprecedented pressure on school
principals to be accountable for the quality of education provided by their school.
The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between teacher
perceptions of the frequency and effectiveness of principal instructional leadership behaviour
and student achievement in high-poverty elementary school.
This chapter discusses a problem related to school principals in a decentralized
education system. The problem is grounded in the principal-teachers paradigm as described by
Galal (2002) and Chapman (2008). The chapter concludes with the research questions that
guided this study. The educational value of decentralization lies in the devolution of authority
and responsibility for schools from the central-level administration to the schools themselves.
Shifting decision making to those closer to the school and community leads to decisions that
are more responsive to local conditions and needs. If principals are not prepared for this new
level of authority and increased responsibility, then any educational value that decentralization
holds may be lost.
The factors are related to the extent that Filipino school principals thought they were
capable of supporting teachers' classroom instruction through: (1) instructional supervision, (2)
professional development, (3) and classroom resources; and the extent that they thought these
instructional supports were effective.
This study was conceptually grounded in the principal-teachers relationship as described
by Galal (2002) and Chapman (2008). Filipino principals thought their capacity to support
teachers through instructional supervision and professional development was dependent on
their beliefs as to whether these instructional supports could make a difference in classroom
instruction, their level of control, time they spent on instructional leadership and their degree
of job satisfaction. These were shown in the linear regression analysis.
Principals thought their capacity to support teachers through classroom resources was
only dependent on their level of control over them and their beliefs as to whether they could
make a difference in classroom instruction. This belief was the most significant factor related to
principals' sense of capacity for providing instructional supervision and professional
development, while their level of control was the most significant factor related to principals'
sense of capacity for providing classroom resources.
Results also showed that principals' beliefs as to whether instructional supports were
effective in supporting teachers' classroom instruction were dependent upon how effective
they think they are as school principals and how capable they think their teachers are in guiding
student achievement. The level of responsibility principals must assume for improved
education quality that already exist in most developing countries is further compounded by the
pressures. A number of developing countries report near universal access and the levelling of
enrolment growth at the primary school level. This increases attention of improving the quality
education. A consequence of this increased attention to quality is that administrators at all
levels of the education sector, particularly school principals, need a better understanding of the
teaching and learning processes and the actions that are likely to improve the quality
education. Even when resources are available, the problems principals face in improving school
quality knows which inputs and actions will lead to more improved teaching and learning. There
is a great need to improve education management at the school level. This need is widely
advocated, although least examined as education systems become decentralized.
Original research investigating the factors that contributes to principals sense of
capacity for improving school quality under a decentralized system would provide important
insights for strengthening education management at the school level. The current study
examines the extent to which organizational structures of the decentralized education system
contribute to principals sense of capacity for providing teacher incentives to motivate
improved teaching practice in the Philippines.

Conceptual Framework
In order to study Filipino principals perceived capacity for providing instructional
support to teachers, the construct of self efficacy is employed. The construct of self-efficacy is
grounded in social cognitive theory and consists of two dimensions: personal self-efficacy and
outcome expectancy. Personal self-efficacy is defined as a judgment of how well one can
execute courses of action required to deal with prospective situations. Outcome expectancy
on the other hand, is defined as a persons estimate that a given behavior will lead to certain
outcomes.
The use of self efficacy in this study follows the investigation of supports cultivating
principals sense of efficacy by Tschannen-Moran and Gareis (2004). The authors define
principals sense of efficacy as a judgment of his or her capabilities to structure a particular
course of action in order to produce desired outcomes in the school he or she leads. McCormick
(2001) further specifies it is as the principals self-perceived capacity to perform the cognitive
and behavioral functions necessary to regulate group processes in relation to goal achievement.

Principal Instructional Management














Perception of Principals

Instructional
supervision
Professional
development
Classroom supervision

Perception of Teachers

Instructional
supervision
Professional
development
Classroom supervision


Teachers Satisfaction






Pupils academic performances

School principals have a critical role in the conceptual framework of No Child Left
Behind (NCLB). At some level, principals always have been instructional leadersbut never
before has their role been more prominent.
First, the accountability movementNo Child Left Behind in particularthrust
principals into the spotlight on academic achievement. Then budget cuts peeled away capacity
at the district and school levels, thinning the ranks of assistant superintendents, curriculum
specialists and assistant principals, who shouldered some or most of the load.
The principals behaviors are believed to be central to the creation and facilitation of an
effective teaching and learning environment within a school. From a social cognitive
perspective, behaviors are understood to be one component of a triadic, reciprocal model of
human agency where the environment (E), personal factors (P), and behaviors (B) all exert
bidirectional influences upon the other factors.
Principal self-efficacy influences the effectiveness of teaching and learning in the school
environment. A heterogeneous sample of principals was surveyed about their self efficacy in
fostering effective instructional environments. Four separate stepwise regression analyses were
conducted to identify the most important variables in predicting the four criteria variables: (1)
self-efficacy in instructional leadership, (2) self-efficacy in management, (3) reported time
devoted to instructional leadership, and (4) reported time devoted to management.
A robust sense of efficacy is necessary to sustain the productive intentional focus and
persistent effort needed to succeed at organizational goals. Tschannen-Moran and Gareis
(2004) also explain that, as school leaders, principals must facilitate group goal attainment by
establishing and maintaining an environment favorable to group performance. Together, the
authors explain principals perceived capacity, as applied to this study. Tschannen-Moran and
Gareis (2004) explain that the role of self-efficacy beliefs in effective leadership is multifaceted.
Perceived self efficacy has been found to influence analytic strategies, direction-setting, and
subsequent organizational performance of managers (Paglis and Green, 2002).
According to social cognitive theory, self-efficacy is a personal factor (P) that can have
significant effect upon human agency. Self-efficacy beliefs influence the courses of action
people pursue, effort exerted, perseverance in overcoming obstacles or failures, resilience to
adversity, the extent to which thoughts are self-aiding or self-hindering when coping with
environmental demands, and ultimately the level of accomplishments realized. Self-efficacy is,
therefore, an important construct useful for understanding a broad spectrum of human
behavior in various social contexts.
Social cognitive theory also provides a theoretical framework for understanding how
strength of self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectancies interact to produce behavioral
outcomes.
Drawing the connection between social cognitive theory and leadership, McCormick
(2001) notes that, Successful leadership involves using social influence processes to organize,
direct, and motivate the actions of others. It requires persistent task-directed effort, effective
task strategies, and the artful application of various conceptual, technical, and interpersonal
skills.
Leadership self-efficacy has been related to performance evaluations by observers in
both leadership simulations and in ratings by peers and superiors in actual work settings
(Chemers, Watson, and May, 2000; Paglis and Green, 2002). In these studies, the self-efficacy
beliefs of leaders were also shown to impact the attitude and performance of followers.
Leaders perceived self-efficacy beliefs were related to subordinates performance abilities, as
well as to success at gaining followers commitment to the task. The self-efficacy of
organizational leaders has also been shown to mediate employees engagement with their work
and to overcoming obstacles to change (Luthans and Peterson, 2002). In this study, self efficacy
has the potential to reveal insights into school principals judgment of their capacity in
providing instructional supports for improved teacher performance and their judgment on
whether the instructional supports will lead to improved teacher performance. It is
hypothesized that the findings from this study will enable insights into how principals
perceived capacity has the potential to gain teachers commitment for improved instruction
and to affect their teaching abilities. Research questions guiding this study follow.

Statement of the Problem
The study investigates the following:
1. To what extent is the perception of the elementary school principals in their
instructional management in terms of (1.1) instructional planning? (1.2) classroom
supervision? (1.3) professional development?
2. To what extent is the perception of the elementary teachers of their principal
instructional management in terms of (2.1) instructional planning? (2.2) classroom
supervision? (2.3) professional development?
3. What is the elementary teacher level of satisfaction of their principal instructional
management?
4. What is the elementary pupils academic performance?
5. Are there significant difference in the perception of the school principal and their
elementary school teachers in the District of Bian?
6. Is there a significant relationship between the perception of the school principal and the
teacher level of satisfaction?
7. Is there a significant relationship between the perception of the teacher and the pupils
academic performance?
8. What training programs are to be implemented to meet the teachers level of
satisfaction?
A study of primary school effectiveness in the district of Bian documents a strong
significant relationship between the frequency of teacher supervision by the school principal
and student achievement: student test scores rose as the number of times the school principal
visited the classroom increased. Traditionally, principals have worked under highly centralized
education systems that limit their power and autonomy in making decisions related to the core
business of school teaching and learning. The Ministry of Education in many countries (e.g.
China, Thailand, Singapore, Malta, Nigeria, Pakistan) solely designs a unified national
curriculum, syllabus, materials and exams and guides funding and staffing schools including
teacher selection, recruitment and staff development (Oplatka, 2004).
As a result, principals are more inclined to perform an administrative function than an
instruction-oriented function. Principals in developing countries function as the lower link in an
organization chain that extends from the school through district supervisors to the central
ministerial staff. They are usually former teachers selected to be principals mainly for their
seniority rather than for their personal traits or performance. Principals often operate under
significant constraints, such as chronic shortage of materials, operating funds, and staff
development resources, which make instructional improvement extremely difficult to achieve.
Also, principals are overburdened with administrative tasks and find it difficult to make time for
instructional improvement. The extent to which principals regard supervision as part of their
responsibility varies across countries since it is often performed by district inspectors or teacher
supervisors that are usually far removed from the schools and their teachers.
However, as a by-product of decentralization, principals are expected to take
responsibility for supervision. This last point is crucial in terms of expecting principals to
spearhead any school improvement efforts towards student achievement (Chapman, 2000).
School principal training before the appointment is virtually nonexistent among developing
countries, except for on-the-job training for a teacher who has served as a deputy or assistant
principal.
However, only a handful of countries, such as China, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malaysia, Papua
New Guinea, the Philippines, and Thailand, have addressed the need to improve school
management, primarily by establishing institutions to train school principals. Such institutes
face three problems. First, they cannot accommodate the number of new principals needed to
run the burgeoning number of schools. Second, no consensus has been reached about what the
curriculum should reflect and who should provide the training. Institute staff often transplant
curricula and methodologies derived from their overseas training without adapting them to the
socio-cultural context and needs of their country and community. Third, the national policies
for training administrators are not coherent, which hinders the effectiveness of these institutes.
The aim of the current study is to address the need for improving principals capacity to
assume new roles and responsibilities in a decentralized system. The study focuses on
principals in the Philippines especially in the district of Bian and their capacity for providing
instructional support to teachers. Principalship in the District of Bian is an ideal case for
examination. Principals are facing the challenges of working within a recently decentralized
education system while learning to become instructional leaders through formal training. The
following section discusses how principals capacity meet instructional leadership challenges
are conceptualized and contextualized to the current research.

Statement of the Hypotheses
Analyses were conducted on data from several principals. Linear regression analysis
showed that:
HO1: There is no significant relationship in the perception of the school principal and
their elementary school teachers in the District of Bian. But there is significant relationship
between the frequency of teacher supervision by the school principal and student
achievement: student test scores rose as the number of times the school principal visited the
classroom increased.
HO2: There is no significant relationship between the perception of the school principal
and the teacher level of satisfaction.
HO3: There is a significant relationship between the perception of the teacher and the
pupils academic performance.

Assumptions of the Study
The researcher assumes that: (1) most of the teachers believe in the instructional leadership
shown by their principal; (2) the strategy of the teacher affects the pupils academic performance; and
(3) the instructional management of the principal in every school helps improve the teachers
performance to enhance the academic performance of the pupils.

Scope and Delimitations
The scope of this study is the instructional management of the principal in the District of
Binan as perceived by the public school teachers.
Limitations of this study center on the use of self reported perceptions of teachers
about the instructional management of the principals, sample characteristics of respondents,
and social desirability bias. Responses did not represent the general population of school
teachers and principals in the District of Bian since the sample was not randomly selected. The
survey represents only one point in time. The time and place of survey dissemination and the
existence of others during survey completion were likely to contribute to the tendency of
respondents to reply in a manner that may be viewed favorably by others. Principals may have
overestimated their sense of efficacy leading to social desirability bias.

Significance of the Study
There is great interest in educational leadership in the early part of the 21
st
century
because of the widespread belief that the quality of leadership makes a significant difference to
school and student outcomes. There is also increasing recognition that schools require effective
leaders and managers if they are to provide the best possible education for their learners.
Schools need trained and committed teachers but they, in turn, need the leadership of highly
effective principals and support from other senior and middle managers. While the need for
effective leaders is widely acknowledged, there is much less certainty about which leadership
behaviors are most likely to produce favorable outcomes. Examine the theoretical
underpinnings for the field of educational leadership and management, assess different
leadership models, and discuss the evidence of their relative effectiveness in developing
successful schools.