Effect of Heads' Distributed Leadership Practices on Teachers' Classroom Management

Abstract

Title: Effect of Heads’ Distributed Leadership Practices on Teachers’ Classroom Management Pages: 266 Researcher: Maqsood Ahmed Advisor: Dr. Munazza Ambreen University: Allama Iqbal Open University Subject Area: Secondary Teacher Education Year: 2019 Degree: Ph.D (Education) The study was descriptive in nature as it investigated the effect of heads’ distributed leadership practices on teachers’ classroom management. The objectives of the study were to examine the distributed leadership practices of heads, explore the teachers’ classroom management strategies, find out the effect of heads’ distributed leadership practices on teachers’ classroom management, compare the difference in heads’ distributed leadership practices by demographic characteristics of the sample and compare the difference in teachers’ classroom management by demographic characteristics of the sample. Two research questions and thirteen hypotheses guided the study to achieve the objectives. The data were collected using two research instruments. Firstly, the Distributed Leadership Readiness Scale (DLRS) was adapted as per local context, for the measurement of distributed leadership practices among heads. Secondly, Teacher Classroom Management Strategies Questionnaire (TCMSQ) was developed by the researcher keeping in view the Pakistani context, to collect information from teachers about their classroom management strategies. xi The population of the study was all heads and teachers of Federal Government schools in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). Category-wise sample was drawn out of the population using stratified random sampling technique. Heads of all the selected schools (N=156) and 1560 teachers (10 from each school) were included in the sample. The collected data were analyzed according to the nature of the data and to address the research hypotheses/questions, using different statistical techniques i.e. descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson r, one-way ANOVA and simple linear regression. The study results revealed the categorization of heads' distributed leadership practices scores into five levels according to varying degrees of distributed leadership practices that heads are practicing and more than 50 % of heads were in the high-level category. All the dimensions of distributed leadership practices were often observed by the heads in their institutions. The school culture dimension reflected the highest mean of the four dimensions of distributed leadership practices. All the areas of classroom management were often observed by the teachers in their classrooms. "Build relationships with students” area reflected the highest mean of the six areas of classroom management. The results suggest that heads’ distributed leadership practices have an effect on teachers’ classroom management. Moreover, a positive relationship has been highlighted between heads’ distributed leadership practices and teachers’ classroom management. It was concluded that teachers' gender affects their classroom management. Female teachers exhibited more classroom management strategies on all the six areas of classroom management than the male teachers. It was established that teachers' professional qualifications do affect their classroom management. The study highlighted many implications for the heads, policymakers, teachers, teacher training institutes and future researchers.