Effect of Instructional Leadership of Heads on School Climate: Mediating Role of Emotional Intelligence

Abstract

The study was meticulously designed to investigate the impact of instructional leadership exhibited by school heads on the prevailing school climate, specifically examining the mediating role of emotional intelligence within the Punjab Province of Pakistan. It was consisted on 1) To explore the relationship between instructional leadership of heads and school climate at public secondary schools. 2) To perceive the relationship between emotional intelligence and instructional leadership of heads at public secondary schools. The study was inherently correlational and descriptive rather than experimental in nature. The research encompassed a sample of 60 male heads and 60 female heads from public secondary schools in selected 12 Districts, Punjab, utilizing multistage sampling techniques. Data collection was executed through a rigorously validated, closed-ended, self-constructed questionnaire, which was uniformly applied to both heads and teachers. The researcher gathered data from a total of 120 heads, along with three teachers selected from each school, culminating in a sample of 360 teachers to assess the impact of instructional leadership on school climate, with emotional intelligence serving as a mediating factor across selected districts. To ensure the validity and reliability of the instrument, a pilot test was conducted. The researcher employed both descriptive and inferential statistical methods for data analysis, utilizing SPSS-26. Descriptive statistics facilitated the calculation of percentages and frequencies, while Pearson’s correlation coefficient was employed to ascertain relationships among relevant constructs such as “Social Environment, Learning Environment, Physical Environment, Social Skills, Self-Regulation, Motivation, Empathy, Self-Awareness, Adult Professional Culture, Teacher Expertise, Results-Oriented Leadership, and Strong Advocacy,” all of which contribute to enhanced performance among heads and teachers, ultimately fostering positive student outcomes. Regression analysis techniques were utilized to explore the influence of instructional leadership by heads, mediated by emotional intelligence, in promoting a positive school climate. The findings of the study indicated that the instructional leadership of heads exerts a beneficial effect on the school climate, with emotional intelligence playing a significant mediating role. The results demonstrated a moderately positive and statistically significant correlation between the instructional leadership and emotional intelligence of both heads and teachers operating in public secondary schools. Notably, the academic and professional credentials of heads, as well as those of male and female teachers, did not significantly influence their management and teaching approaches aimed at improving the school climate.