Identifying the role of school principals in improving the job performance of rural school teachers in Mashhad

Document Type : Qualitative Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Educational Administration and Human Resources Development, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad,Mashhad,Iran

2 MA Of Educational Administration, Department of Educational Administration and Human Resources Development, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

10.22034/jsa.2025.142535.2550

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the roles of school principals in improving the job performance of teachers in rural schools in Mashhad. The research was applied in terms of its purpose and qualitative in terms of its data collection method and descriptive phenomenology. Its potential participants were the principals and teachers of rural schools in the Tabadkan region of Mashhad in the academic year 1402-1403, who were selected using a purposive snowball sampling method based on theoretical saturation. The data collection tool was semi-structured interviews. In order to analyze the data obtained from the interviews, the open and axial coding method of Strauss and Corbin (1990) was used, and the findings were validated using four Lincoln and Guba judgment criteria. In total, after data analysis, 69 open codes and 7 axial codes were extracted. The results of the analysis showed that the roles of rural school administrators in the Tabadkan region of Mashhad that play a role in improving teacher performance include the role of facilitator, support role, empowerment role, education management role, cultural promoter role, incentive role, and the role of promoting creativity and entrepreneurship.

Keywords

Main Subjects


Abbasi, Fahimeh; Hejazi, Elaheh and Hakimzadeh, Rezvan. (2019). Primary school teachers’ lived experience of teaching opportunities and challenges in the student learning network: A phenomenological study. Teaching Research, 8(3). 24-1.
Abdollahi, Bijan; Khabaze, Kobra, and Shirzadegan, Maryam. (2017). Exploratory analysis of the role of school principals in forming and stabilizing professional development groups based on teacher collaboration. Journal of New Educational Thoughts, (13)3, 59-88.
Ahadi, Bahman; Fathi, Ayatollah and Abdolmohammadi, Karim. (2012). Investigating the psychological factors affecting the job performance of the East Azerbaijan Police Command staff. Quarterly Journal of East Azerbaijan Police Knowledge. 4(4). 14-1.
Ahmad Yousefi, Maryam; Motahari-Nejad, Hossein; Azari, Homayoun. (2018). the role of teachers' participation in professional learning activities: the role of individual, organizational and managerial factors. Journal of Education and Training, 134, 53-72.
Amirkhani, Tayyebeh and Aref-Nejad, Mohsen. (2012). Analysis of organizational citizenship behavior and psychological capital on social capital. Iranian Journal of Management Sciences. 7(26). 122-89.
Amran FW, Ghazali H, Saedahtinnur H. (2019). Influence of working environment, workload, and job autonomy towards job stress: a case of casual dining restaurant employees in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Int J Acad Res Bus Soc Sci.1:745-53. DOI: 10.6007/IJARBSS/v9- i5/6003.
Ashlock, J.M. (2016). Rural High School Teacher Leadership: A Qualitative Case Study. Online Submission, Ed.D. Dissertation, Washington State University.
Azizi, Elahe, and Zandipour, Tayyebeh. (2014). Studying the effect of social-communication skills training on job satisfaction of Saipa Yadak employees, Quarterly Journal of Psychological Studies, 10(2), 51-71.
Baghi Nasrabadi, Ali and Behzadnia, Mehrdad. (2019). the relationship between strategic human resource management and job performance: The mediating role of ethical climate, Organizational Culture Management Quarterly. 18(4). 774-751.
Bektaş, F., Kılınç, A. Ç, & Gümüş, S. (2020). The effects of distributed leadership on teacher professional learning: mediating roles of teacher trust in principal and teacher motivation. Educational studies, 1-23. DOI:10.1080/03055698.2020.1793301.
Bergmann, L. S. (2017). The Rural School Problem in the United States. Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-90-481-9063-8_100.
Buchanan, J., & Huczynski, A. (2019). "Organizational Behaviour: An Introductory Text. DOI: 10.21954/ ou.rd.17206955.
Chen, Z., & Yang, W. (2023). "Transformational leadership and its impact on teacher performance: Evidence from China's secondary education sector." *Journal of Educational Psychology*, 115(2), 215-229. DOI:10.18844/cjes.v17i6.7552.
Clark-Howard, K. (2019). Inclusive Education: How Do New Zealand Secondary Teachers Understand Inclusion and How Does This Understanding Influence Their Practice? Kairaranga, 20(1), 46-57. DOI: 10.52547/MPES.14.1.255.
Davies, B., & Davies, B. J. (2006). "Developing a Model for Strategic Leadership in Schools". Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 34(1), 121-139. DOI: 10.1177/1741143206059542.
Dialoke, I; Nkechi, P. (2017). “Effects of career growth on employee’s performance: A study of nonacademic staff of Michael Okpara University of agriculture umudike abia state, Nigeria”, World Journal of Entrepreneurial Development Studies, 1(1). 1-12. DOI: 10.12816/0037246.
Diyant, Zahra. (2019). the role of educational leadership of principals in predicting professional learning of elementary school teachers in Mashhad. Master's thesis in Educational Management, Hekmat Razavi Institute of Higher Education.
Doğan, S., & Adams, A. (2018). Effect of professional learning communities on teachers and students: reporting updated results and raising questions about research design. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 29(4), 634-659. DOI:10.1080/09243453.2018.1500921.
‏Durksen, T. L., Klassen, R. M., & Daniels, L. M. (2017). Motivation and collaboration: The keys to a developmental framework for teachers’ professional learning. Teaching and teacher education, 67, 53-66. DOI:10.1016/j.tate.2017.05.011.
Echazarra, A. & T. Radinger (2019). “Learning in rural schools: Insights from PISA, TALIS and the literature”, OECD Education Working Papers, No. 196, OECD Publishing, Paris. 10. DOI: 1787/8b1a5cb9-en.
Erfanian Khanzadeh, Hamid, and Torkanloo, Zohreh. (2017). investigating soft factors affecting productivity: The effect of empowering leadership on achievement motivation, inspirational motivation, and mental stimulation. Productivity Management. 9(6). 87-63.
Erkul, H., Kanten, P., & Gümüştekin, G. (2018). The Effects of Structural Empowerment on Corporate Reputation and Organizational Identification. Acta Academica Karviniensia, 3, 27-41. DOI: 10.25142/aak.2018.018.
Fayolle, A., & Gailly, B. (2008). "From craft to science: Teaching models and learning processes in entrepreneurship education". Journal of European Industrial, 32(7), 569-593. DOI: 10.1108/03090590810899838.
Feng, H., & Huang, J. (2019). "Leadership styles and teacher performance: A quantitative analysis of Chinese high schools." Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, 18(3), 237-255. DOI:10.55014/pij.v6i4.483.
Fred, A; Singh, G.S. B. (2021). Instructional Leadership Practices in Under-Enrolled Rural Schools in Miri, Sarawak. Asian Journal of University Education, 17 (1):165-176. DOI: 10.24191/ajue.v17i1.12694.
Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 41(1), 100-118.
Gall, Meredith; Burke, Walter and Gall, Joyce. (2017). Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods in Educational Sciences and Psychology (translated by Ahmadreza Nasr and others). Tehran: Samat Publications.
GAO, X., & Wu, Z. (2023). "The impact of school principal leadership on teachers’ work engagement and job performance: A study based on data from Chinese middle schools." Journal of Educational Research, 116(3), 292-306. DOI:10.3389/feduc.2022.814159.
Garba, O. A., Babalola, M. T., & Guo, L. (2018). A social exchange perspective on why and when ethical leadership foster customer-oriented citizenship behavior. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 70, 1-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2017.10.018.
Geher, G., Betancourt, K Jewell, O. (2017). The link between emotional intelligence and creativity. Imagination, Cognition and Personality: Consciousness in Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice, 37(1), 5–22. DOI: 10.1177/0276236617710029.
Gerpott, F. H., Van Quaquebeke, N., Schlamp, S., & Voelpel, S. C. (2019). An identity perspective on ethical leadership to explain organizational citizenship behavior: the interplay of follower moral identity and leader group prototypicality. Journal of Business Ethics, 156(4), 1063- 1078. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-017-3625-0.
Ghale’i, Alireza and Koushki, Manijeh. (2015). Career plateau as a threatening factor in the emergence of organizational citizenship behavior, International Conference on Management and Social Sciences. Dubai: Peykhteh Viera Institute of Idea-Driven Managers. https://civilica.com/doc/514060
Ghasemzadeh Alishahi, Abolfazl; Madzhab Khodai, Mahsa; and Barki, Isa. (2010). the role of leadership style and learning organization culture on school effectiveness, Journal of Applied Educational Leadership, (2), 69-80.
Ghasemzadeh Alishahi, Abolfazl; Nishtman, Momenpour and Ahmadi, Javad. (2010). Studying the antecedents and organizational consequences of teachers' professional learning. Quarterly Journal of New Educational Thoughts, 61(1), 193-216.
Gong, X., & Zhao, M. (2021). "Impact of principal's instructional leadership on teachers’ performance and development in China's primary schools." Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49(5), 755-772. DOI:10.17102/bjrd.rub.11.2.034.
Goran, Shiva; Salehi, Keyvan and Javadipour, Mohammad. (2019). Phenomenological Analysis of Teachers' Reactions to Changes in the Primary Educational Progress Evaluation System. Quarterly Journal of Curriculum Research. 16(63). 1-20.
He, L., & Wu, Z. (2022). "Principal leadership and teacher performance in China's rural schools: A longitudinal study."Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 50(6), 832-849. DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.894688.
Hosseingholizadeh, R., Amrahi, A., & El-Farr, H. (2020). Instructional leadership, and teacher’s collective efficacy, commitment, and professional learning in primary schools: a mediation model. Professional Development in Education, 1-18.
Hosseinpour Tolazdehi, Shohreh; Zeinabadi, Hassan Reza; Abdollahi, Bijan and Abbasian, Hossein. (2017). School as a research-oriented professional learning community (a phenomenological study). Journal of Educational Innovations (63), 7 - 24.
Hoy, W. K., & Tarter, C. J. (2011). "Organizational justice in schools: No justice without trust". International Journal of Educational Management, 25(7), 730-744. DOI:10.21272/bel.2 (4).89-98.2018.
Huang, L., Zhang, T., & Huang, Y. (2020). Effects of school organizational conditions on teacher professional learning in China: The mediating role of teacher self-efficacy. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 66, 100893.‏ DOI:10.1016/j.stueduc.2020.100893.
Huang, R., & Li, Q. (2022). "Principal leadership and teacher performance: Evidence from Chinese high schools." Journal of Educational Administration, 60(1), 45-61. DOI: 10.3390/educsci14060600.
Imani, Mohammad-Taqi. (2019). Entrepreneurship education in universities. A framework for planning, implementing and evaluating entrepreneurship programs, Quarterly Journal of Educational Management Research, 1(4), 49-27.
Irvan RM, Heryanto H. (2019). The effect of competence and workload on motivation and its impact on the performance of civil servants at the regional secretariat of the regency of dharmasraya. Arch Bus Res. 7(5):134-142. DOI: 10.14738/abr.75.6461.
Jafari, Tayyebeh; Shafiabadi, Abdullah; Farah-Bakhsh, Kiyomars; Abbaspour, Abbas and Younesi, Jalil. (2019). Designing performance evaluation indicators for managers of the General Inspectorate of the country with a career counseling approach, Career and Organizational Counseling Quarterly. 12(43). 32-9.
Javadipour, Mohammad and Mohammadi, Reza. (2010). “Evaluating supervisor performance from the perspective of school principals and teachers”, Management and Planning in Educational Systems, 2(3), 127-103.
Jiang, T., & Zhang, Y. (2020). "Leadership behaviors and their impact on teachers' job satisfaction and performance: Insights from a Chinese educational context." Journal of School Leadership, 30(1), 35-53. DOI: 10.54097/tzv9mg56.
Kakirman, Yildiz. (2012).Effective Communication Skills to Manage the Library: Relations between Managers and Librarians. Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries. 9(2), 141-153.
Kin, M. (2021). An Analysis on the Implementation of Professional Learning Communities in Malaysian Secondary Schools. Asian Journal of University Education, 17(1), 192-206. DOI:10.6007/IJARPED/v11-i2/14208.
Kuratko, D. F., & Morris, M. H. (2018). "Corporate Entrepreneurship: A Strategic Approach. DOI:10.1002/9781118785317.weom030017.
Lin, Y., & Wang, R. (2020). "Principal leadership, teacher autonomy, and job performance in Chinese middle schools: A quantitative approach." Educational Psychology, 40(2), 224-239. DOI:10.14686/buefad.1020340.
Liu, J., & Huang, Y. (2018). "The effects of transformational leadership on teacher job satisfaction and performance in Chinese schools."Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 46(6), 915-933. DOI:10.47191/ijsshr/v5-i6-59.
Mafora, T. P. Schulze, S. (2012). The job satisfaction of principals of previously disadvantaged schools: new light on an old issue. South African Journal of Education, 3: 227–239. DOI: 10.15700/saje.v32n3a571.
Mahdian, Somayeh; Hakimzadeh, Rezvan; Safaei Movahed, Saeed and Salehi, Keyvan. (2018). Representing Teachers' Perception and Lived Experience of Their Social Status; A Phenomenological Study. Family and Research Quarterly. 15(1). 38-19.
Mayayo, J. L., Romaní, J. R., & Duran, R. D.Q. (2020). ‘Management and leadership of networks for educational success: analysis of emerging networks in Spain’. Journal School Leadership & Management, 40 (2-3), 183-202.
Mejang, A., & Suksawas, W. (2021). The Impacts of a Face-to-Face Training in Combination with Line Application and Professional Learning Communities on English Teacher Development. English Language Teaching, 14(4), 25-33. DOI:10.5539/elt.v14n4p25.‏
Mirzaei, Jamshid. (2019). Effective Teaching Strategies in Social Studies Education. Specialized Scientific Quarterly of Research in Social Studies Education. 1(2). 20-14.
Montazeri, Abbas; Khanifar, Hossein; Eliasi, Mehdi and Mohammadi, Mehdi. (2019). Presenting a Model for the Opening of the Innovation System of the Iranian Defense Sector, Quarterly Journal of Innovation Management. 3(2). 36-56.
Navas, M. S., & Vijayakumar, M. (2018). Emotional intelligence: a review of emotional intelligence effect on organizational commitment, job satisfaction and job stress. International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research & Development (IJASRD), 5(6), 01-07. DOI: 10.26836/ijasrd/2018/v5/i6/50602.
Netolicky, D. M. (2016). Rethinking professional learning for teachers and school leaders. Journal of professional capital and community. DOI: 10.1108/JPCC-04-2016-0012.
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice (8th ed.). SAGE Publications. DOI: 10.4236/ojl.2021.103013.
Piaro, M. (2018). “Classroom management and students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in rivers state”, International Journal of Scientific Research in Education, 11(5), 940-963.  DOI: 10.52848/ijls.892827.
Porcell, M. A. (2020). Veteran Elementary Teachers' Perceptions about Teacher Professional Development: A Phenomenological Study (Doctoral dissertation, Azusa Pacific University).
Prince, C. E. (2018). The Effect of Professional Learning Communities on Perceived Teacher Self-Efficacy. ProQuest LLC. DOI:10.1016/j.system.2017.03.003.
Reid, D. B. (2021). US principals’ sensemaking of the future roles and responsibilities of school principals. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49(2), 251-267. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143219896072
Rifaei, Zhiar; Hassani, Rafiq‌ and Mohammadi, Majid. (2019).‌ Dimensions and components of teachers' professional learning community, a qualitative study, School Management Quarterly, 8(1), 341-369.
Sadeghi Nia, Zohreh; Salehi, Keyvan and Moghadamzadeh, Ali. (2018). Identifying effective factors in evaluating the performance of primary school principals with a phenomenological approach, School Management Quarterly. 6(2). 78-99.
Samul, J. (2020). Spiritual leadership: Meaning in the sustainable workplace. Sustainability, 12(1), 267-520. DOI: 10.3390/su12010267
Seikkula-Leino, J., Ruskovaara, E., Ikavalko, M., Mattila, J., & Rytkola, T. (2010). "Promoting entrepreneurship education: The role of the teacher?" Education + Training, 52(2), 117-127. DOI: 10.1108/00400911011027716.
Serin, H. (2017). “Developing the teaching profession: factors influencing teachers’ performance”, International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 4(2), 10-14. DOI: 10.23918/ijsses.v4i2sip10.
Sezer, S., Can, E. (2019). Teachers’ Cognitive Constructs on Democratic Education in Schools: A Case Study. Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research, 13(1), 92-112. DOI: 10.29329/epasr.2018.137.6.
Sheikhi Fini, Ali Akbar; Zarei, Eqbal and Saadatzadeh, Somayeh. (2013). The effect of participatory teaching method with emphasis on learning courage (declaration) on students’ academic progress in religion and life lessons. Research on Education and Learning. 2(1). 360-351.
Sivaninejad, Ali Akbar. (2008). Investigating the role of managers’ leadership style on job satisfaction of middle school teachers in Khovi city in the academic year 2006-2007. Master’s thesis, Educational Management, Tabriz Azad University.
Subramony, M., Segers, J., Chadwick, C. and Shyamsunder, A. (2018). Leadership development practice bundles and organizational performance: the mediating role of human capital and social capital. Journal of Business Research, 833(1), 120- 129. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.09.044
Sun, X., & Zhang, C. (2022). "The influence of principal leadership on teacher innovation and performance in Chinese schools." *International Journal of Educational Management*, 36(3), 417-432. DOI:10.53797/anp.jssh.v2i2.13.2021.
Tayag, J., & Ayuyao, N. (2020). Exploring the relationship between school leadership and teacher professional learning through structural equation modeling. International Journal of Educational Management. DOI:10.30831/akukeg.1179861.‏
Tieken, M. C; Montgomery, M. K. (2021). Challenges Facing Schools in Rural America. State Education Standard, 21 (1): 6-11.
Tintoré, M., Cunha, R. S., Cabral, I., & Alves, J. J. M. (2022). A scoping review of problems and challenges faced by school leaders. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 50(4), 536-573. DOI: 10.1177/1741143220942527
Tremont, J. W; Templeton, N. R. (2019). Principals as Instructional Leaders: An Embedded Descriptive Case Study of One Rural School's Effort to Improve Student Outcomes through Reading Plus. School Leadership Review, 14 (2):1-24.
Valterz, C. A. (2018). Advancing achievement goal theory: Using goal structures and goal orientations to predict student’ motivation, cognition, and achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology. 96, 236-250. DOI:10.1037/0022-0663.96.2.236.
Voelkel Jr, R. H., & Chrispeels, J. H. (2017). Understanding the link between professional learning communities and teacher collective efficacy. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 28(4), 505-526. DOI:10.1080/09243453.2017.1299015.
Wang, M., Guo, T., Ni, Y., Shang, S., & Tang, Z. (2019). The effect of spiritual leadership on employee effectiveness: An intrinsic motivation perspective. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 2627-2641.  DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02627
Webster, K; Litchka, P. (2020). Planning for Effective School Leadership: Teachers' Perceptions of the Leadership Skills and Ethical Behaviors of School Principals. Educational Planning, 27 (1):31-47.
Wicher M. (2017). Positive psychology: A pathway to principal wellbeing and resilience. Education Today, 1:24-26.
Wu, X., & Chen, M. (2019). "Principal leadership and its effects on teacher efficacy and performance: A study in the context of Chinese education." Teaching and Teacher Education, 80, 32-45. DOI:10.1080/09243453.2012.678863.
Xie, Z., & Li, R. (2023). "The effects of instructional leadership on teacher job satisfaction and performance in China's educational system." Journal of Educational Administration and History, 55(1), 78-94. DOI:10.48165/sajssh.2024.5403.
Xu, L., & Ma, W. (2021). "School leadership and teachers’ professional development: A study of leadership practices in Chinese urban schools." Educational Review, 73(1), 67-82. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-0749-6_1.
Xu, X. M., & Yu, K. (2019). When Core Self-Evaluation Leads to Career Adaptability: Effects of Ethical Leadership and Implications for Citizenship Behavior. The Journal of psychology, 153(5), 463-477. DOI: 10.1080/00223980.2018.1564724.
Xue, Yajiong, John Bradley, Huigang Liang. (2016). Team climate, empowering leadership, and knowledge sharing. Journal of Knowledge Management, 15 (2), 299-312. DOI: 10.1108/13673271111119709.
Yang, J., & Zhang, Q. (2021). "Exploring the role of school leaders in enhancing teachers' motivation and performance in Chinese primary schools." Journal of School Leadership, 31(5), 735-757. DOI:10.1080/03055698.2022.2026297.
Yang, L., & Zhou, Q. (2021). "Examining the impact of transformational leadership on teacher performance: Evidence from Chinese schools." Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(4), 637-652. DOI:10.26803/ijlter.23.6.10.
Yang, R., & Wu, J. (2021). "The impact of transformational leadership on teacher performance: Evidence from high schools in China." International Journal of Educational Management, 35(4), 642-659. DOI:10.18844/cjes.v17i6.7552.
Yasini, Ali; Abbasian, Abdolhassan and Yasini, Tahereh. (2013). the Role of Distributed Leadership Style of Managers on Job Performance of Secondary School Teachers in Mehran City. Presenting a Model, a New Approach in Educational Management. 1(33). 50-10.
Yildis, N. G. (2017). “Classroom management and student achievement”, Analysis Journal of Educational Science International, 7(1), 155-183. DOI: 10.18039/ajesi.292598.
Zhang, L., & Liu, Y. (2017). "Principal leadership and its impact on teacher efficacy: Insights from China." International Journal of Leadership in Education, 20(2), 168-182 DOI:10.1016/j.ijedro.2020.100028
Zhu, J. (2019). Exploring the Work of School Principals in Rural China. Journal of Educational Administration, 57(3), 275–291. DOI: 10.1108/JEA-03-2018-0047.
Zinger, D; Sandholtz, J. H; Ringstaff, C. (2020). Teaching Science in Rural Elementary Schools: Affordances and Constraints in the Age of NGSS. Rural Educator, 41 (2): 14-30. DOI:10.35608/ruraled.v41i2.558.