The Impact of School Directors’ Instructional Leadership on Teachers’ Collective Efficacy and Commitment at the Secondary Resource Schools in Cambodia

Abstract

This study aims: (1) to validate ​ three constructs: instructional leadership (IL), teacher collective efficacy (TCE), and teacher commitment (TC); (2) to examine the overall levels of these variables perceived by teachers; (3) to compare the levels of variables; (4) to examine their relationships; and (5) to analyze the impact of independent variable (IL) on the dependent variable (TC) through a mediating variable (TCE). A sample of 619 secondary resource school teachers was selected using simple random sampling. The study employed quantitative approach including exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to validate the sub-constructs in the Cambodian context, followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess convergent and discriminant validity. Data were also analyzed using descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and structural equation modeling (SEM).                                               

The key findings were summarized as follows:                                                         1. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of study variables in Cambodian context displayed that IL emerged to two sub-factors:  establishing a school mission (SM) and developing a positive learning climate (PLC). Teacher commitment (TC) was reduced to two sub-factors: teacher commitment to organization/school (TCO) and commitment to teaching (TCT). TCE was reduced to a single dimensional factor. Factor loadings for all 5 sub-factors​​ were higher than 0.5, indicating that items have strong relationship with underlying factors. These findings supported the construct validity of each factor. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) confirmed convergent and discriminant validity as well as indicated measurement model fits the empirical data very well (χ² (485) = 923.78, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.94, SRMR = 0.040, RMSEA = 0.046).   

2.​The results of descriptive statistics showed teachers perceived high grand mean scores for all variables: IL (M = 4.13), TC (M = 4.40), and TCE (M = 3.84).              3. The results of casual-comparative design showed that teachers in the Coastal and Sea regions rated their principals’ ability to create school mission higher than those in the Central Plain region, but teachers in three regions perceived no significant differences in their directors’ ability to develop positive school learning climate. Moreover, teachers in the Coastal and Sea regions also reported higher commitment to teaching than those in the Central Plain region.                                                               4. Pearson correlation analysis indicated significant positive correlation between five components with coefficients ranging from r = 0.37 to r = 0.49 (p < 0.001).                      5. ​This study employed both multiple regressions analysis and structural equation modeling within a correlational study resign. Multiple regressions were employed to assess direct relationships among key variables, offering an initial understanding of predictive effects. Results showed that IL significantly predicted teacher commitment to teaching (Adjusted R² = 0.206, F​(5, 613) = 33.026, p < 0.001) and commitment to school (Adjusted R² = 0.283, F(5, 613) = 49.683, p < 0.001). Additionally, the IL significantly predicted teacher collective efficacy F(2, 616) = 87.142, p < 0.0001, Adjusted R² = 0.218).     To further explore the complex relationships among these variables, SEM was conducted and demonstrated that TCE mediated the relationship between IL and teacher commitment. IL had effects on teacher commitment both directly (β = 0.365, p < 0.001) and indirectly mediated by teacher collective efficacy (β = 0.430, p < 0.001). The structural equation model revealed an acceptable good fit (χ²(439) = 1129.53, p < 0.001; RMSEA = 0.050; CFI = 0.94; TLI = 0.92; and SRMR = 0.060).