New Primary School Principals’ Understandings and Practice of Instructional Leadership in Ethiopia

Instructional leadership (IL) is recognized as an essential role of a school principal, yet in the African school context, there is a paucity of research on understanding new principals’ perceptions and practice of IL. This basic qualitative research explored the IL understandings and practices of new primary school principals and their understandings of teacher support for effective instruction. The study utilized the Practical Ideal Type (PIT) microconceptual framework to gauge what new principals understood and practiced and compared with what is established in literature in the Principal’s Instructional Management Rating Scale model. Using thematic data analysis, interview data of seven new primary school principals were coded, categorized, themed and interpreted. Results indicate that new principals understand IL from the perspective of only two dimensions of managing the instructional program and developing the school learning environment. A gap in the principals’ understanding of the dimension of defining the school mission including practices on framing and communicating school goals was evident. The study concludes that new principals (a) value the focus on students learning, (b) account for teacher performance, (c) monitor and implement school plans, (d) build relationships, (d) account for teaching and learning in the classroom, (f) engender collegiality and collaboration, (g) establish teacher support strategies, and (h) follow district guidelines. The findings will benefit school principals as practitioners, regional and district education leaders and policy makers as the support system for effective school leadership and providers of Continuous Profession Development, and School Leadership Training Institutions for designing effective and need responsive leadership program.