Perceptions of Teachers in Government and Private School on Principals ' Roles As an Instructional Leader

Abstract

This survey aims to investigate the difference in perceptions between teachers in government t and private schools on principals' roles as an instructional leader. Four dimensions of principal's roles as an instructional leader were identified, i. e. instructional managen1ent, instructional supervision, instructional support and staff development A questionnaire was administered to 213 teachers (96 from government and 117 from private secondary schools) in the district of Johor Bahn1. Analysis of difference between the two types of school was conducted using the Mann -Whitney U test. Results indicated that the principals in the government school was actively involved in staff development. On the other hand, the private school principal emphasized more on instructional management. Significant differences were found between the government and private school principals on the four dimensions of the principal's role as an instructional leader. The result implies that there is a room for improvement for the school principals to play an active role as an instructional leader.