2025 IJRSE – Volume 14 Issue 12
Available Online: 10 July 2025
Author/s:
Tran, Sen
De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines (lotustranfmi@gmail.com)
Abstract:
This study investigated teachers’ perceptions of principals’ instructional leadership in five accredited kindergartens of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate Congregation (DMI) in Vietnam. Specifically, it aimed to assess the perceived effectiveness of principals’ instructional leadership practices and examine whether these perceptions varied according to teachers’ years of teaching experience. A quantitative research design was employed, utilizing a survey method for data collection. The study used the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) – Teacher Short Form, with responses from 129 out of 151 teachers across the selected kindergartens. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were conducted to analyze the data. The findings revealed that teachers generally perceived their principals as active and effective instructional leaders, with all ten leadership functions rated as either very good or outstanding. The highest mean scores were associated with the dimension of defining the school’s mission, particularly in the areas of framing and communicating school goals, emphasizing the significance of vision-setting in effective leadership. In the dimension of managing the instructional program, practices related to supervising instruction and coordinating curriculum were rated moderately high, while monitoring student progress received comparatively lower ratings, indicating a need to strengthen data-informed leadership. Within the dimension of promoting a positive school climate, professional development received strong positive ratings, whereas protecting instructional time and providing incentives for learning were rated lower, indicating specific areas for improvement. Furthermore, the MANOVA results indicated no statistically significant differences in teachers’ perceptions of principal instructional leadership across different levels of teaching experience.
Keywords: instructional leadership, principal, teachers’ perceptions, kindergarten schools, Vietnam
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2025.25221
Cite this article:
Tran, S. (2025). Teachers’ perception of principal instructional leadership practices in five accredited kindergartens run by DMI sisters in Vietnam. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 14(12), 229-245. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2025.25221