The Effect of Instructional Leadership of Principal on Teacher Collaboration: Evidence from Elementary School in Lao PDR.

Abstract

While many OECD countries are adopting the policy to decentralize decision making and increase autonomy at a lower level of the educational system (OECD, 2004a), the decision making on education in Lao PDR are made by those who are the top level of the educational system. All the performances related with education activities have to be followed strictly along with the education policy from the Ministry of Education which might differ the relationship of the instructional leadership of principal and teacher collaboration. This current research studied how the principal's instructional leadership effect on teacher's collaboration as perceived by the teachers in elementary school in the capital city of Lao PDR- Vientiane. The data analysis was conducted by using Linear Regression Analysis modeling from the data base program- SPSS version.18 and the data was collected by distributing a survey questionnaires to 124 teachers in 11 elementary schools in the capital city of Lao PDR. The result of this research presented that the instructional leadership of principal has a significant positive effect on teacher collaboration, indicating that when the principal practices instructional leadership behavior by providing feedback and by working co-professional with teachers, teachers are more likely to collaborate with colleagues. In addition, the analysis reported that feedback from principal had more powerful link to teacher collaboration task comparing to principal's co-professional working with teacher. The result of teacher collaboration on this study identified that teachers participating on collaboration activities has improved teacher's instructional practice and has solved classroom discipline problems. Besides, the finding of the study has placed a recommendation as well as practical implications which are necessary for the new generation of principal and teachers in order to strengthen teacher collaboration activities throughout the school.