The Moderating Role of School Level in the Relationship between Deputy Principal’s Instructional Leadership and School Effectiveness in Government Schools in Maldives

The quality of education at all school levels is a major concern in Maldivian education system. Previous literature posit that effective leadership is critical for the realization of school goals. As such, instructional leadership is claimed to contribute to the teaching and learning process of the school. The purpose of this research is to analyze the effects of deputy principal’s instructional leadership on school effectiveness in government schools in Male’, the capital city of Maldives. It also aims to analyze the moderating effect of school level on the relationship between instructional leadership and school effectiveness. A quantitative research approach is selected for this study. The data was collected using a survey questionnaire. The sample consisted of 359 teachers working in the governments schools of the capital city, Male’, who were selected through stratified random sampling. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data using SPSS and AMOS Version 25.0. The findings revealed that deputy principal’s instructional leadership has a direct and positive relationship with school effectiveness. Moreover, school level moderates the relationship between deputy principal’s instructional leadership practices and school effectiveness. In sum, the study validates that deputy principal’s instructional leadership has direct and positive effects on school effectiveness and adds value to the understanding of school level as a moderating variable within the school context.

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