The effect of school bureaucracy and teachers’ demographic variables on the relationship between principals’ leadership practice and teacher commitment in Penang secondary schools / Teoh Hong Kean

• Main Author: Teoh , Hong Kean
• Format: Thesis
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: LB1603 Secondary Education. High schools; LC Special aspects of education

This was a mixed method research. The purpose was to determine the relationship between principal leadership practices and teacher commitment. The mediator was school bureaucracy while the moderator was teacher demographic data. The study was conducted using quantitative survey questionnaire to 367 teachers from 126 secondary schools, ranging from band 1 to band 6 in Penang using multi stage stratified cluster random sampling. Then, it was followed by qualitative interviews upon 12 school teachers and principals, chosen by purposive stratified random sampling to seek a better understanding of significant phenomenon. This study was using SPSS nonparametric analysis and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the data. The study found that teacher commitment was high, especially in commitment in teaching work. The study also identified three significant predictors of principal leadership practices that could enhanced teacher commitment. Another key finding that emerged from the study was that the school bureaucracy had partial mediating effect on the relationship between principal leadership practices and teacher commitment. Teacher demographic data had significant effect on the relationship. Findings from this study could be used to tailor professional leadership development programs that emphasize on the understanding of principal leadership practices. Principal leadership practices such as continuous improvement of instruction, cooperation and collaboration and school climate that impacting teacher commitment might regard as necessary core business in school. School bureaucracy, though it is highly centralized, was another matter of important with regard to teacher commitment.