OPEN UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

Principals and Teachers Perceptions and Understandings of Instructional Leadership and Opportunity to Learn

SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS & SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT- HMEE 5033

ASSIGNMENT

NAME:MALAR MALINI A/P JEYARAJMATRIX NO.: CGS00512106

IC NO.: 740307-08-5170EMAIL: malarmalini@hotmail.comH/P: 0122350344

TUTOR : PROF.DATO.DR.ABD RAHIM SELAMATDATE: 01 JULY 2012

CONTENTS

PAGE

ABSTRACT......61.0 INTRODUCTION .................7 82.0 OBJECTIVE.......83.0 METHODOLOGY .....84.0 SPSS DATA CODE SHEET...9 125.0 SAMPEL SELECTION......12-146.0 TOOL USED.147.0 DATA COLLECTION.....158.0 INSTRUMENTATION....159.0 STATISTICS ANALYSIS ....15 - 2010.0 DATA AND CHARTS ANALYSIS ....21-2911.0 MISSING VALUES...30-3212.0 CONCLUSION....33REFERENCES

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Variable View of the SPSS Dataset .9Table 2Questionnaire for respondents.....11Table 3Table of Random Numbers ....13Table 4SPSS Data View .......14 Table 5 Group Statistics for difference between male and female group on EQ scores.16Table 6 Mean and Standard Deviation for EQ Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5

Item 6 Item 7 Item 8 Item 8 Item 10 * Gender.18Table 7 Mean and Standard Deviation for EQ Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4

Item 5 Item 6 Item 7 Item 8 Item 8 Item 10 * Family Income.19Table 8 Mean and Standard Deviation for EQ Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4

Item 5 Item 6 Item 7 Item 8 Item 8 Item 10 * Ethnicity .20

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1Gender Bar Chart for Item 1...21Figure 2Gender Pie Chart for Item 1...22Figure 3Gender Line Graph for Item 123Figure 4Family Income Bar Chart for Item 1..24Figure 5Family Income Pie Chart for Item 1...25Figure 6Family Income Line Graph for Item 1...26Figure 7 Ethnicity Bar Chart for Item 1.27Figure 8Ethnicity Pie Chart for Item 128Figure 9Ethnicity Line Graph for Item 1....29

APPENDICESAPPENDIS A... Journal Article 1

APPENDIS A....Journal Article 2APPENDIS B ..Questionnaires

..SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS & SCHOOL BASED MANAGEMENT

AbstractThe researchers examined the effects of gender, family income and ethnicity on emotional intelligence of form four students of Hin Hua High School Klang. The independent variables in this research project were emotional intelligence and socio-demographic variables ( gender, family income, ethnicity). The Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire measured the dependent variable of emotional intelligence. The subjects totaled 50 students (20 males, 30 females).The data were analyzed in a variety of ways. Frequency distributions were conducted to describe the demographic data of participants. One frequency distribution was conducted to describe the demographic data of participants (gender,ethnicity,family income). The results of the analysis of variance for the emotional intelligence score revealed no significant effects of gender on the emotional intelligence of form four students, no significant effects of ethnicity on the emotional intelligence of form four students, no significant effects of family income on the emotional intelligence of form four students and no significant interaction effects of gender , family income and ethnicity on the emotional intelligence of form four students at the .05 alpha level. In these respects, the difference between form four males and females mean emotional intelligence scores did not depend on their family income and ethnicity.

Keywords: emotional intelligence, socio-demographic variables, frequency distributionl, form four students________________________________________________________________________1.0 INTRODUCTION

The reason for connecting the terms instructional leadership and supervision was the influence of the works of Blas and Blas and Glanz. Blas and Blass (2004) research on instructional leadership emphasized that a primary element of successful instructional leadership was supervision. In addition, Glanz (2006) mentioned that principals must pay attention to their role as instructional leader, which is paramount to positively affect teaching and learning. Engaging teachers in instructional dialogue and meaningful supervision [and] strive to encourage good pedagogy and teaching [is essential] (p. 79). The ultimate goal of instructional leadership was to improve teaching, and meaningful supervision became the instrument to assist teachers in developing and growing in their professional knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Current literature about instructional leadership falls into four broad areas. First, prescriptive models describe instructional leadership as the integration of the tasks of direct assistance to teachers, group development, staff development, curriculum development, and action research (Glickman, 1985); as a democratic, developmental, and transformational activity based on equality and growth (Gordon, 1997) that encourages teacher voice (Reitzug and Cross, 1993); and as a discursive, critical study of classroom interaction to achieve social justice (Smyth, 1997). Second, studies of instructional leadership, though few in number (Short (1995), include exploratory studies of indirect effects of principal-teacher instructional conferences and behaviors such as the effects of monitoring student progress (e.g. Blase and Blase, 1996; Dungan, 1993; Blase and Roberts, 1994; Reitzug, 1994). Third, studies of direct effects of principal behavior on teachers and classroom instruction include Sheppard's (1996) synthesis of research demonstrating the relationship between certain principal behaviors and teacher commitment, involvement, and innovation. Fourth, studies of direct and indirect effects on student achievement include Hallinger and Heck's (1996a, 1996b) review of studies investigating the principal's role (e.g. use of constructs such as participative leadership and decentralized decision making) in school effectiveness.

Despite such research, the relationships among instructional leadership, teaching, and even student achievement have not been adequately studied (Leithwood et al., 1990). In fact, based on a review of the Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, Short (1995) has called for more research into the effects of leader behavior on teacher behavior, the relationship of instructional leadership to teaching, instructional leaders' characteristics, and conditions necessary for effective instructional leadership. 2.0RESEARCH DESIGNThere were two purposes for this research. The first purpose was to gain insight into instructional leadership and supervision through describing (a) one school principals role and perception of instructional leadership, and (b) the same schools teachers perceptions and understandings of instructional leadership and opportunity to learn. Second, the case study provided a principal with feedback on the school strengths, areas for support and development, and/or direction needed for improving the staff cohesiveness in the school. The data for this qualitative case study were collected with the assistance of one principal and four teachers from the same school. Data were collected using a questionnaire and standardized open-ended interviews. The main source for the data collection was from the interview. This chapter is an outline of the method decisions made to conduct the study as they relate to the research questions.3.0METHODOLOGY

The research questions developed on the topic of instructional leadership guided this study towards qualitative research in the form of a case study. Denzin and Lincoln (1998) stated that qualitative implies an emphasis on processes and meanings rather than focusing on quantity or frequency. Qualitative research emphasizes the socially constructed nature of reality, the intimate relationship between the researcher and what is studied, and the situational constraints that shape inquiry (p. 8). Therefore, qualitative research can be defined as an inquiry process based on distinct methodological traditions of inquiry that explores a social or human problem. The research builds a complex, holistic picture, analyzes words, reports detailed views of informants, and conducts the study in a natural setting (Creswell, 1998, p.15). Creswell noted that distinct methodological traditions included biographical life history, phenomenology, grounded theory study, ethnography, and case study. The case study was used as the qualitative method.

Based on the above definitions, purposes, and uses of case study research design, the case study was chosen as the method to collect data on the perceptions of instructional leadership in the school context. Therefore, the case was to provide a detailed description and understanding of the different perceptions on the concepts of instructional leadership and supervision in Hin Hua High School, Klang. Data collection and analysis were intended to answer the following primary and secondary research questions:Primary Research Question:

1. What differences, if any, exist between a principals and teachers perceptions and understandings of instructional leadership and opportunity to learn within a school?

Secondary Research Questions:

1. What is the principals perception of the role of instructional leader?

2. What are teachers perceptions of the principals role as instructional leader?

3. What is the principals understanding of the learning

4. process, and what the role is

within the supervision process?

5. What are teachers understandings of the supervision process in their school and

school division and what are teachers perceptions of the principals role as supervisor?

The data were gathered for this case study through a questionnaire and interviews, using

participants from the same school.

3.1PARTICIPANT SELECTIONGall et al. (2007) mentioned that sample size in qualitative research was typically small.

In addition, Patton (2002) suggested that a small sample size for a qualitative study can still provide in-depth information:

With the same fixed resources and limited time. In-depth information from a small

number of people can be very valuable, especially if the cases are information-rich. Less

depth from a larger number of people can be especially helpful in exploring a

phenomenon and trying to document diversity or understand variation. (p. 244)

The intended school for this study was selected based on the principals willingness to

participate in the study. Hin Hua High Schools principal was purposefully selected to be part of the study.

The sampling strategy for selecting the teacher-participants for the study utilized stratified random sampling. Stratified random sampling allowed the researcher to include parameter(s) for selecting the sample (Tuckman, 1994), and in this case study the parameter was the grade level being taught( intermediate and upper intermediate level) by participants. Of the six participants selected, three taught in the intermediate level and three in upper intermediate levels. Each selected participant received the survey and the set of interview questions that pertained to the topic of instructional leadership and opportunity to learn.

3.2 DATA COLLECTION

The data from the study were collected from the principal, Mr. Green, and four teachers,

Mrs. Indigo, Mrs. Orange, Mrs. Red, and Mrs. Violet [pseudonyms]. Each participant was asked to fill in a questionnaire and participate in an interview. All the interviews were conducted between June 10 and June 18, 2012, following a standardized open-ended format. Each interview was digitally recorded and lasted between fifteen and forty-five minutes. After the recordings were transcribed, the participants read the transcripts to make any revisions to the data and, if in agreement, signed the transcript release form. Finally, the data were manually coded. The results of this data analysis were presented within sections of this assignment.

The data collection for this case study utilized multiple sources to collect data. According

to Yin (1989), multiple sources was defined as the opportunity to use different research strategies to gather data, such as experiments, surveys, observations, and interviews. In this case study I utilized multiple sources to gather data to address the research questions, a questionnaire, and an interview.

The questionnaire consisted of mainly fill-in-the-blank responses, checklists, rankings,

and open-ended questions. The fill-in-the-blanks and checklists provided nominal data that have the advantage of being less biased and allowing for greater flexibility.

The reason for this disparity between the questionnaires was due to the difference in

responsibilities, duties, and roles between the principal (Appendix G) and teachers (Appendix I).

The main area of difference was in the number of questions. The principals questionnaire

consisted of 8 questions, whereas the teachers questionnaire had 11 questions. Both the

principals and teachers questionnaires took approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

The questions developed for this survey were a combination of the researchers own

questions, and questions developed by Bedard (2005), who carried out a similar study on the concept of instructional leadership. In addition, the researcher manipulated the questionnaires further adapting for clarity. The principals questionnaire had 8 questions, 4 of which were adapted from Bedards questions. The teachers questionnaire consisted of 6 questions, 3 of which were questions adapted from Bedards (2005) work. A sample set of the questions can be found under Appendix G, The Principals Questionnaire and Appendix I, The Teachers Questionnaire.

Interview Method. An interview can be defined as the verbal questions asked by the

interviewer and verbal responses provided by the interviewee (Gall et al., 2007, p.228). The strategy for data collection for my interview utilized the standardized open-ended interview, which involves a predetermined sequence and wording of questions of the same set of questions to be asked of each respondent (p. 247).

I the researcher adapted and refined the questions as well as the questions tailored from Bedards (2005) study for both the principal and teachers interview questions. Hin Hua High Schools principals interview questions consisted of 11 questions; 9 questions had been developed from the research question, and 2 questions were adapted from pre-existing questions developed by Bedards (2005) study of instructional leadership. (see Appendix H).

There were 11 open-ended questions for the teachers, 9 of which were developed from the

research questions, and 2 questions developed by Bedard (2005). Teachers questions focused on their perceptions and understandings of the principal as instructional leader and supervisor, the supervision process, the principals strengths and weaknesses, and barriers that hindered the development of teachers skills and abilities (Appendix J).

Each of the five participants was interviewed for approximately 15 to 40 minutes. After additional comments and changes were completed, the participants were asked to sign transcript release forms, which stated that the information collected and recorded was accurate (see Appendix F).

4.0DATA ANALYSISThe data collected from the principal were analyzed and coded into common patterns,

themes, generalizations, and categories (Patton, 1990). The same process was applied to the teachers responses, with an additional comparison among the teachers responses to identify similarities and differences in perceptions. Finally, the principals responses were compared to the teachers responses to find the commonalities and differences in perceptions as related to the patterns, themes, and research questions. The process was to identify themes that are salient, characteristic features in a case (Gall et al., 2007, p. 452). This process was conducted manually and did not rely on a computer program to find the constructs, patterns and themes.

4.1Instructional Leadership and Teachers Growth: Teachers Perceptions

Two teachers were stratified-randomly selected to be part of my research, Miss. Yew Foong and Miss.Joanne. One of the participants had taught for nearly 20 years and one had been teaching for nearly 5 years. One participant had taught in the intermediate level (Senior Two;Form Five) and the other in the upper intermediate level (Senior Three; Form Six). The questionnaire and interview data provided by the teachers were aggregated and include quotes from specific teachers for verification or to explain a perspective on the topic. The teachers responses were divided into two major themes: instructional leadership and professional growth.

4.1.1Instructional Leadership: Teachers Perceptions

To explain the teachers perceptions of instructional leadership, the following sub- themes were identified: definition of instructional leadership, characteristics of an instructional leader,the barriers and facilitators to the principals function as instructional leader, and the requisite supports needed for a principal to have an impact on the school.

Definition of Instructional Leadership

Teachers definitions of instructional leadership varied. Definitions included leading by example, being an effective teacher, providing time and resources, devising the plan for the school that included staff duties and responsibilities, team building, and drawing on personal skills and qualities for providing effective leadership. The definition of instructional leadership provided by Miss. Yew Foong included the other teachers definitions:

Instructional leadership differs from that of a school administrator or manager in a number of ways. Instructional leadership is being able to lead other professionals in a collegial manner while contributing to their professional growth. Its the ability to be an effective communicator, a good listener, problem-solver, decision-maker, with the needs of each student, staff, and parent in mind. Its being compassionate and passionate about people and education. The instructional leader makes instructional quality the top priority of the school and attempts to bring that vision to realisation.

Characteristics of an Instructional LeaderThe teachers perceptions of the characteristics of an instructional leader were separated into three categories: the principals knowledge, skills, and abilities; the professional support the principal provides the staff; and the principals ability to create a supportive learning environment through collaboration.

Knowledge, skills, and ability. Both the teachers agreed that one of the characteristics needed to be a good instructional leader was the principal being knowledgeable. The principal needed to know about curriculum, resources, time frames, the profession, and teaching organizations.When the teachers were asked to give one word to describe their principals most positive quality, teachers responded with true leader, supportive,compassionate, and loving.

Professional support. A principal provides professional support through leading by example and establishing high expectations for the school. Miss Joanne said that the principal must share his vision and establish high expectations for the school. Miss Yew Foon stated that the principal did both, reminding teachers what he expected from them:

He told us all at the start of the year, you know, work hard . . . dont just, you know put your best foot forward . . . Dont be happy with less than your best, and expect the best from your students. And thats kind of a consistent theme throughout everything we do, and were often reminded of it not in a threatening way, but just in a nice, nice

way to remind us all to keep trying, and were in this together and do your best.

According to Miss Joanne The principal must be flexible and trust teachers in their judgments on resources, and draw on teachers strengths. The principal must be aware of what is going on in the school in order to discuss instruction and methodologies with teachers.

Creating a supportive environment through collaboration. Miss. Yew Foong emphasized the importance of the principal creating a supportive environment, which meant the [principal] is empathetic; he allows you to do your job and he also draws out your strengths . . . and encourages hard work and success. In creating a supportive environment, the principal must accommodate different personalities and teaching styles (Miss. Yew Foong). In addition, Miss.Joanne stated the importance of the principal [promoting] and [fostering] the concept of

teamwork [and] promoting the value of each member of the team. The principal must collaborate with teachers rather than control all aspects of the school. The teachers all agreed that the principal was genuinely concerned for the well-being of the staff by creating a supportive environment.

The teachers emphasized an effective principal not only had the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities, but the principal also had to support teachers professionally and be able to create a supportive learning environment.

Principals Function as Instructional Leader: Barriers and Facilitators

In this section, the teachers provided their perceptions of the barriers and facilitators related to the principal being able to function effectively as an instructional leader.

Barriers. Both the teachers mentioned aspects of a principals personal characteristics that could interfere with the provision of effective instructional leadership, including the lack of education and professional training, lack of communication skills (especially listening), being too controlling, not taking advantage of the strengths of staff members, and not having good relationships with students.Facilitators.Facilitators that the teachers identified were divided into the same four categories as the barriers: the principals personal characteristics, the staff, central office, and time. The principals characteristics that helped to provide effective instructional leadership were communication skills, professional qualifications, the principal had been a successful teacher, and the principal took genuine interest and concern in the well-being of all members of the school community. Miss. Yew Foong and Miss. Joanne identified the school staff as a key facilitator for the success of the principal as instructional leader through their willingness to work collaboratively and cooperatively to grow and learn together. Miss. Joanne mentioned the role that the central office administration team had in facilitating the principals leadership through providing resources and professional development that focused on leadership and team building.

A principal may be affected by the barriers and facilitators that interfere or assist them in becoming an effective instructional leader. The teachers responses highlighted the importance of the personal characteristics of the principal, but also the role staff and central office had in assisting the principal in performing effectively in the school.

Principal supporting teachers. Teachers believed a principals support for them was important for teachers to do their jobs. Three areas where teachers needed support were: dealing with student and parent problems, personal and professional support, and scheduling.

Miss. Yew Foong and Miss. Joanne emphasized the importance of the principal supporting and backing teachers when it came to student discipline, behaviour, and other problems, especially when dealing with parents. In addition, Miss. Yew Foong echoed the importance of a principal backing the teachers [when dealing] with students and parents, as a big and [essential] support. Also, Miss. Joanne noted the importance of a principal supporting parent relationships and support with any interventions in the classroom. Knowing the principal would support teachers assisted in the development of a positive relationship between the principal and the teachers. A principal must also provide teachers with personal and professional support. All two teachers emphasized personal and professional support, though their responses varied. Miss. Yew Foong stated the importance of the principals ability to smooth over any staff relationships that could be strained. Professional support included trust . . . and [the] whole respect issue between [the principal and teacher]. Miss. Joanne noted that:

A good principal is allowing you to do your job, in the best way you can. And I think to be open, open to suggestions. That you can go to him or her and say, you know, I think, could you consider this and he actually might consider it.

Teachers supporting their principal.Teachers believed their support for the principal was as important as the support the principal provided them. Miss. Joannes classification of the ways teachers could support their principal encompassed the other teachers responses: collaboration, co-operation, communication, and being professional. Teachers collaborate and co-operate with the principal through their willingness to use and put those theories and practices into everyday teaching, and to take time for [teachers] to study the resources, and try new tactics and techniques in our teaching (Miss. Yew Foong). Miss. Joanne noted the positive aspects of co-operating with the principal:

I think if the teacher can take her cue from the principal and just work with him, I think that goes a long way to helping the principal and not, not being overly demanding, . . .getting too upset if you happen to lose a prep because of an assembly, and its twice in a row, that kind of thing. You have to kind of be willing to give and take.

Teacher growth. Miss. Yew Foong and Miss. Joanne mentioned another purpose of supervision

was to help teachers by providing them with feedback. For instance, Mrs. Red said I know in the different times I have been supervised, the comments have helped me. Miss. Joanne stated supervision was to help the teacher become a better teacher. In addition, supervision allowed the principal to ensure proper supports and resources were in place. Miss Yew Foong stated supervision was important because it added to the principal-teacher relationship as well, which was a positive aspect in addressing teacher growth. Though teacher growth was mentioned by two teachers, all teachers recognized the barriers, which interfere with the development and growth of their skills and abilities.

Barriers interfering with teacher growth. One barrier was the problem of time. Teachers noted that there was not enough time in the day-to-day teaching, nor time to research new resources and implement new approaches, techniques, and methodologies learned through professional development. A second barrier was the physical and emotional demands of the job as teacher workloads increased because of classroom dynamics, plus students problems that encompassed behaviour, discipline, learning, and family situations. For instance, Miss. Joanne stated:

Honestly, you dont want to say that its totally varied, but sometimes as a teacher you dont feel you are developing and doing what you really want to just because the nature of the children really [differs] in the classroom now, [especially] the behaviour of [students] and honestly the parent.

The teachers viewpoints on the purposes of supervision centred on: evaluation or teacher growth. The teachers focused on barriers such as time, resources, teacher workload, and lack of collaboration, which may impede teacher growth.4.2Instructional Leadership: Principals Perception

Principal Mrs Lim noted that she spent approximately 11% to 30% of his time on

instructional leadership, which he believed was the appropriate amount of time he should spend in this role. Mr. Greens data on the theme of instructional leadership identified sub-themes: definition of instructional leadership; characteristics of an instructional leader; factors, barriers,and facilitators affecting his function as instructional leader; and the impact of instructional leadership on establishing culture.

Definition of Instructional Leadership

Mrs. Lim defined instructional leadership as:

The actions taken by the principal that demonstrate to all staff that he/she thinks that the instruction of students is the most significant role of the teachers and all staff. The principal will set goals with staff that enhance best instructional practices and provideresources to help achieve those goals. Instructional leadership must promote growth in student learning and in teacher teaching.

Based on Mrs. Lims definition, the personal characteristics of the principal contributed to whether the principal would be an effective instructional leader.

Characteristics Required for Effective Instructional Leadership

According to Mrs. Lim, to be an effective instructional leader the principal must have

the following personal characteristics:

To be effective you have to be compassionate very empathetic towards [teachers], promote a sense that you have their well-being at hand, allow teachers to use their professional knowledge, you know appreciate the staff. . . .And that they know they can try things out and if things dont work out right, they can learn from the experience.

Finally, when Mrs. Lim was asked to give one word to describe her most

positive quality as a principal, he wrote caring. Mr. Greens data made it evident he cared for her teachers by providing professional and personal support. For instance, he cared by allowing [teachers] to use the professional knowledge they have . . . [also] I listen to them [and] I take their advice. Regarding personal support, Mrs. Lim mentioned that he showed lots of empathy for [personal] situations and tries to be compassionate in terms of problems outside the realm of [school] where things kind of come upon us.

Principals Function as Instructional Leader: Factors, Barriers, and Facilitators

Mrs. Lim believed her function as instructional leader in the school was affected by three

factors: the school, the community, and central office. Also, he provided an explanation of the barriers and facilitators that hindered or assisted him in fulfilling his function as an instructional leader.

Providing resources and helping teachers make decisions were functions of an

instructional leader:

To make sure that resources are there for teachers; that teachers can come to [me] with any concerns, anything they have or anything they want to try; [teachers] can come to me and Ill hear them out, and then Ill often help them to decide in making the decision on what would be best.

According to Mrs. Lim, student success or achievement was accomplished by having high expectations for students . . . set the [best] programming or [resources possible] so students feel good and have success. Another factor affecting his instructional leadership function was the community. Mr. Green stated that listening to the community, helping the community, and [being] very approachable [to] the community, were important functions as an instructional leader.

Mr. Green advocated for his school and staff to division office to try to ensure that

the schools and teachers specific needs were addressed.

At the same time, Mrs. Lim identified three barriers, which hindered his function as

instructional leader. One barrier was the lack of collaborative working time for teachers in the school day. Another was the lack of resources as a result of curriculum constantly changing. A third barrier was little or no funding for professional development.

For Mrs. Lim to function effectively as an instructional leader he could not allow the

barriers to get in the way. Instead, he noted the following facilitators: demonstrating a love of teaching and learning, being open to teachers to allow them to be the professionals in their rooms, supporting teachers in their endeavors, and being a person they could trust and rely on for support.

Table 1

Principals Responsibilities Mrs. Lim Miss Yew Foong Miss Joanne Principal Teacher (1) Teacher(2)

Being a visible presence in the school

Discipline Issues (attendance, behaviour,

etc)

Managerial Duties (scheduling, paperwork,

budget, staff discipline, etc)

Answering questions about learning

Providing staff with new instructional ideas

and strategies

Curriculum Leadership

Organizing staff meetings to allow for

instructional discussion to happen

Providing coaching for teachers

Providing collaboration time for teachers

Explaining to parents what is happening in

the school and classroom

The final aspect of Table 1 which needs to be addressed was almost all the

responsibilities chosen by the principal and teachers dealt with instructional leadership, with the

exception of discipline problems and managerial duties. These rankings suggest that teachers are

not fully aware of which responsibilities fall under the realm of instructional leadership.

In order to gain a better understanding of the principals and teachers perceptions of

instructional leadership, a comparison of the following sub-themes was undertaken: definition of

instructional leadership, the characteristics of an instructional leader, the principals function as

instructional leader, and the impact of instructional leadership on the school.Table 2The four important aspects of the Principals CharacteristicsCharacteristics of the PrincipalMrs.Lim

Principal Miss Joanne

Miss Yew Foong

Principal was an effective teacher

(Skills, Abilities, & Knowledge)

Principals concern for the personal

well-being of staff

(Personal Support)

Treating teachers as professionals

(Professional Support)

Organizing all aspects of the school in

collaboration with teachers

(Collaboration with Teachers)

One aspect that both the principal and teachers mentioned as important was that the principal had been an effective teacher prior to becoming an administrator. The principal was a master or effective teacher, which meant he had the needed skills, abilities, and knowledge, which for teachers, was important for the principals credibility.

Second aspect was the principals ability to provide personal support, thus showing a concern for teachers well-being. The characteristic that everyone agreed on was the importance of the principals compassion and empathy. Additional characteristics that teachers valued in a principal were the principals ability to be consistent, to be personable, to be respectful, to be fair, and to have good communication skills. A third aspect was for the principal to provide professional support, all of which the principal saw as acknowledging and treating teachers as professionals, not inferiors. Teachers also found professional support was significant because it allowed them to share their strengths and knowledge, foster team work and collaboration, show trust in teachers judgments, and allowed them to take risks, which ultimately contributed to their professional growth.

Another aspect of the principals characteristics that both principal and teachers deemed important was the principals ability to organize all aspects of the school. From the principals

perspective, he believed leading the school was best accomplished through promoting a collaborative approach with teachers. Teachers concurred by emphasizing the importance of the

principal fostering teamwork and collaboration. Also, the teachers mentioned that it was important for the principal to share their vision, establish high expectations, solve problems,

make decisions, be flexible, and encourage hard work and success.

According to participants, the effect of the principals personal characteristics was to help create an environment conducive to learning by allowing teachers to focus on teaching. Everyone mentioned similar characteristics needed for an individual to be an effective instructional leader. The next section describes the sub-theme of the factors that affect the principals ability to function effectively as an instructional leader.5.0 CONCLUSIONS

The reason I believe there was congruence between the principals and teachers

perceptions of instructional leadership and supervision was due to the professional and personal characteristics of Principal Mrs Lim. In their responses, the teachers continually emphasized that an important characteristic and function of an instructional leader was to provide support to the teachers. Mr. Green ensured he was a visible presence in the school, and tried to support his teachers personally and professionally. He created a safe environment for teachers and included them in the decision-making process. He tried to develop collegial relationships with staff through his informal supervisory approach. In addition, when teachers were asked to describe Mr. Greens most important characteristic, teachers mentioned the following: a true leader, who was compassionate, loving, and supportive. Therefore, Principal Green was perceived by teachers as a good principal. Since Mr. Green provided a supportive environment and treated the teachers as professionals the participants felt that he provided what they emphasized as important for an instructional leader. The result was congruence in their responses on instructional leadership and supervision.

Table 2 : Questionnaire for respondents1Strongly Disagree

2Disagree

3Neither Agree Nor Disagree

4Agree

5Strongly Agree

1It is difficult for me to face unpleasant situations1 2 3 4 5

2I am able to face challenges pretty well.1 2 3 4 5

3I am able to deal with upsetting problems.1 2 3 4 5

4I find it difficult to control my anxiety.

1 2 3 4 5

5I am able to keep calm in difficult situations.1 2 3 4 5

6I can handle stress without getting too nervous.1 2 3 4 5

7I am usually calm when facing challenging situations1 2 3 4 5

8I am motivated to continue, even when things get difficult.1 2 3 4 5

9Whatever the situation, I believe I can handle it well.1 2 3 4 5

10I am optimistic about most things I do.

1 2 3 4 5

According to the study in order to obtain a significant result in the study, all negative form of questions must be changed to a positive form. In the above case, question 1 and question 4 are indicating a negative impact so they are recoded for a smooth reading in the final results. As such a change of position in the scale is taken place: 1 5,5 12 4 , 4 2 and 3 3 remains at the original position.Emotional Intelligence is the last variable whereby the summation is done through the data view and it gives the total EQ value for the survey done.5.0SAMPLE SELECTION

The study was conducted on a total sample of 50 form four school students. For selecting the students from each class, the stratified sampling method was used for gender, ethnicity and family income:i. GENDER

Stratified Sampling Procedure1. Total population of form four students=300

2. The desired sample size is

= 50

3. The variable of interest is gender; males and females

4. Classification the 300 students into the subgroups:

i. 180 or 60% are males

ii. 120 or 40% are females

5. For a sample of 50 students ; 30 males and 20 females should be selected randomly

from the table of random sampling as shown below:Table 3: Table of Random Numbers

ii. ETHNICITYETHNICITYMALEFEMALETOTAL

MALAY(42/300) X 50 = 7

(105/300) X 50 = 7

14

CHINESE(48/300) X 50 = 9

(24/300) X 50 = 4

13

INDIAN(54/300) X 50 = 10

(36/300) X 50 = 6

16

OTHERS(18/300) X 50 = 4

(30/300) X 50 = 3

7

TOTAL 30 2050

iii. FAMILY INCOME

FAMILY INCOMEMALEFEMALETOTAL

< 3000(78/300) X 50 = 13

(42/300) X 50 = 7

20

3000-5000(72/300) X 50 = 12

(42/300) X 50 = 7

19

> 5000(30/300) X 50 = 5

(36/300) X 50 = 6

11

TOTAL 30 2050

6.0TOOL USED

A set of questionnaire comprising of 10 items were used in the survey among the participants. The results of the survey were keyed as below in SPSS data sheet:

Table 4 : SPSS Data View

7.0DATA COLLECTION

The emotional intelligence questionnaire was administered to students in secondary schools to obtain the required data. Personal data relating to gender, ethnicity and family of the students were also collected for the purpose.

8.0INSTRUMENTATION

Participants respond by indicating their agreement to each of the 10 statements using a five-point scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The EIS has demonstrated high internal consistency with Cronbachs ranging from 0.87 to 0.90 and a two-week test-retest reliability coefficient of 0.78 (Schutte et al, 1998).9.0STATISTICS ANALYSIS

In order to know the relation scores of gender, ethnicity and family income on the students with emotional intelligence the results are shown below :

Table 5: Group Statistics for difference between male and female group on EQ scoresGenderNMeanStd. Deviation

EMOTIONAL

INTELLIGENCEMale3031.80003.06707

female2031.05003.23590

Item 1Male303.30001.11880

female203.15001.22582

Item 2Male303.10001.09387

female203.0500.88704

Item 3Male303.0333.80872

female203.0000.97333

Item 4Male302.7667.72793

female203.0000.56195

Item 5Male302.9667.71840

female203.1500.93330

Item 6Male303.2000.80516

female203.3500.48936

Item 7Male303.60001.00344

female203.2000.89443

Item 8Male303.2333.72793

female203.0000.85840

Item 8Male303.2333.72793

female202.8500.87509

Item 10Male303.3667.61495

female203.3000.73270

Based on the group statistics above the mean indicates that the male students outperform the female sudents .It shows that male stuents has a mean of 31.8000 wherelse the female stuedents with a mean of 31.0500. As for the standard deviation a total of 3.06707 for male students and 3.23590 for female students for the EQ on the whole. The study is based on a total of 50 students through the stratified sampling comprising of 30 males and 20 females. There is a positive and significant relationship between emotional intelligence at 0.05 level of boys. Further, it shows that gender is closely related with emotional intelligence of boys. There is a positive and significant relationship between emotional and 0.05 level of girls. Further, it shows that gender closely related with emotional intelligence of girls.Table 6 : Mean and Standard Deviation for EQ Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5 Item 6 Item 7 Item 8 Item 8 Item 10 * Gender

Gender EMOTIONALItem 1Item 2Item 3Item 4Item 5Item 6Item 7Item 8Item 8Item 10

MaleMean31.80003.30003.10003.03332.76672.96673.20003.60003.23333.23333.3667

N3030303030303030303030

Std. Deviation3.067071.118801.09387.80872.72793.71840.805161.00344.72793.72793.61495

femaleMean31.05003.15003.05003.00003.00003.15003.35003.20003.00002.85003.3000

N2020202020202020202020

Std. Deviation3.235901.22582.88704.97333.56195.93330.48936.89443.85840.87509.73270

TotalMean31.50003.24003.08003.02002.86003.04003.26003.44003.14003.08003.3400

N5050505050505050505050

Std. Deviation3.124951.152811.00691.86873.67036.80711.69429.97227.78272.80407.65807

From the table below the mean for EQ male is 31.8000 and Standard deviation of 3.06707 and mean for female is 31.0500 and standard deviation of 3.23590.With this result it can be concluded that there is no significant difference between the male and female students of form four on the emotional intelligence at Hin Hua High SchoolTable 7 : Mean and Standard Deviation for EQ Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5 Item 6 Item 7 Item 8 Item 8 Item 10 * Family Income

Family Income EMOTIONAItem 1Item 2Item 3Item 4Item 5Item 6Item 7Item 8Item 8Item 10

5000Mean31.00003.18183.00002.90912.54552.81823.54553.54553.09092.90913.4545

N1111111111111111111111

Std. Deviation4.219001.25045.89443.94388.82020.87386.687551.21356.831211.04447.68755

TotalMean31.50003.24003.08003.02002.86003.04003.26003.44003.14003.08003.3400

N5050505050505050505050

Std. Deviation3.124951.152811.00691.86873.67036.80711.69429.97227.78272.80407.65807

From the table below the mean for EQ for students from the family income of less than RM3000 monthly is 31.8000 and Standard deviation of 2.96648.Hence mean for students from the family income between RM3000 to RM5000 is 31.4737 and standard deviation of 2.67433. Wherelse mean for students from the family income of more than RM5000 is 31.0000 and a standard deviation of 4.21900. Therefore, there is no significant difference in the emotional intelligence of students based on their family income of form four students of Hin Hua High School.Table 8 : Mean and Standard Deviation for EQ Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5 Item 6 Item 7 Item 8 Item 8 Item 10 * EthnicityEthnicity EMOTIONAItem 1Item 2Item 3Item 4Item 5Item 6Item 7Item 8Item 8Item 10

MalayMean31.00003.50003.00003.00003.07142.57143.14293.42862.78573.14293.3571

N1414141414141414141414

Std. Deviation3.396831.091931.03775.55470.73005.75593.770331.08941.69929.77033.63332

ChineseMean31.69233.30773.15383.07692.30773.15383.53853.46153.23083.00003.4615

N1313131313131313131313

Std. Deviation3.859721.31559.800641.03775.63043.68874.776251.05003.72501.81650.77625

IndianMean31.75003.06253.00002.93753.12503.25003.18753.37503.31253.18753.3125

N1616161616161616161616

Std. Deviation1.91485.997911.154701.06262.50000.68313.54391.71880.87321.83417.70415

OthersMean31.57143.00003.28573.14292.85713.28573.14293.57143.28572.85713.1429

N77777777777

Std. Deviation3.866831.414211.11270.69007.377961.11270.690071.27242.75593.89974.37796

TotalMean31.50003.24003.08003.02002.86003.04003.26003.44003.14003.08003.3400

N5050505050505050505050

Std. Deviation3.124951.152811.00691.86873.67036.80711.69429.97227.78272.80407.65807

From the table above the mean for EQ based on ethnicity whereby the mean for the Malay students is 31.0000 and standard deviation of 3.39683 for fourteen students from the study. Wherelse the mean for Chinese students is 31.6923 and standard deviation of 3.85972. Besides the mean for Indian students is 31.7500 with a standard deviation of 1.91485 for 16 students and lastly the mean for other students from the ethnicity group is 31.5714 with a standard deviation of 3.86683. Therefore based on the result and study above there is no significant difference between the emotional intelligence of students and their ethnicity.10.0 DATA ANALYSIS - CHARTS

Figure 1 : Gender Bar Chart for Item 1From the bar chart above based on the respondents survey, mostly male students that are about 10 students out of 30 male students agree with the survey on emotional intelligence and how it influences oneself. On the other hand, only about 2 students out of 30 male students strongly agree that emotional intelligence influences them.As for the female students, mostly disagree that is about 7 out of 20 female students disagree that they are influenced emotionally. Only one female student strongly disagree that they are affected emotionally.

In conclusion, both male and female students believe that they are not affected emotionally in their daily lives.

Figure 2 : Gender Pie Chart for Item 1

Figure 3 : Gender Line Graph for Item 1

Figure 4 : Family Income Bar Chart for Item 1

Figure 5 : Family Income Pie Chart for Item 1The pie charts show the emotional intelligence patterns between male and female students of form four at Hin Hua High School.From the male students disagreeing on the effect of emotional intelligence and female students agreeing on the effect of emotional intelligence made up the two biggest items in both the pie charts. Together they comprised over half of the percentage on the survey.The pie charts show the emotional intelligence patterns between male and female students of form four at Hin Hua High School.From the male students disagreeing on the effect of emotional intelligence and female students agreeing on the effect of emotional intelligence made up the two biggest items in both the pie charts. Together they comprised over half of the percentage on the survey. .

Figure 6 : Family Income Line Graph for Item 1

Figure 7 : Ethnicity Bar Chart for Item 1

Figure 8 : Ethnicity Pie Chart for Item 1

Figure 9 : Ethnicity Line Graph for Item 1

The line graph shows that there is a no constancy of opinion among the students of different ethnic. Through the observation Malay and Chinese students seem to be the most who disagree on the effects of emotional intelligence. As for

people from other ethnicity seem to be on the lower level on emotional intelligence factors.

11.0 MISSING VALUES AND DATA ENTRY

Every dataset contains some errors, and every analyst experiences a rite of passage in wasting days drawing wrong conclusions because the errors have not been first rooted out. Up to half of the time needed for analysis is typically spent in "cleaning" the data. This time is also, typically, underestimated. Often, once a clean dataset is achieved, the analysis itself is quite straightforward.

Unless the dataset is small (i.e., less than 100 cases and 10 variables), cleaning is done in several stages. To begin with, the key variables are examined and corrected. For nutrition, this usually means the anthropometric and related variables (e.g., age, sex), and important independent variables like location, socioeconomic factors, and feeding practices. In a large dataset, especially one in which nutrition is one of several modules, variables that become of interest as analysis proceeds need to be cleaned as you go along.

The correct thing is to not forget the necessity of data cleaning! Discipline is needed. Never introduce new variables into an analysis without first checking for errors and making corrections.

DATA CLEANING - a two step process including DETECTION and then CORRECTION of errors in a data set.

Common sources of error are:

missing data coded as "999Most often, the numbers 8 and 9 are used in codes for 'missing information. This can be no response to a survey question, or 'not applicable,' or 'don't know'. Usually the codes used are the top end of the allowable range, e.g. 999 for a 3-digit variable. If these missing value codes are not recoded as missing information, the computer will include them as valid responses, which then introduces major errors, such as artificially inflated means for continuous data.

typing errors on data entry

data for one variable column was entered under the adjacent column

fabricated data- 'made up' or contrived

coding errorsSince survey data collection requires the work not only of the survey administrator, data entry person, and often a translator, there are many opportunities for error in coding the responses to the questions. Errors can occur during the data collection stage, in recoding forms, or during data entry. If the results are not out of range, then they may be difficult to detect in examining the variable itself. The error may appear when bivariate associations and possible outliers are examined by scatterplotting

column shift

Errors in data entry or column shifts in subsequent processing is often easy to detect, since there may be a response such as 3 or 4 appearing to a question which only allows 1 or 2 as a valid response. Correction of this error warrants having the actual completed survey forms available during the data cleaning stage of analysis. Although rare, these errors can play havoc with analysis if undetected. When they are detected in one variable, other variables in the affected cases should be carefully checked.

12.0 CONCLUSION

There are similar studies have been conducted on the differences on emotional intelligence according to gender, ethnicity and family income such as;Gupta and Rajwinder Kaur (2006), Koskinen and Barbara A. Kapinus(2002) Sandra D. Jones (2002).and others have studied on gender, ethnicity and family income in comparison to emotional intelligence of students studying in secondary school and found that there is positive and significant relationship between gender and emotional intelligence, ethnicity and emotional intelligence and finally family income and emotional intelligence .These studies have supported for the present study and findings. Based on the findings of the study the following conclusions could draw. Emotional Inteligence is closely related with emotional intelligence of boys andgirls and emotional intelligence is closely related with the ethnicity of the students. Emotional Intelligence is closely related with the family income of l students.

REFERENCESCage, T. D. (2005). An examination of emotional skill, job satisfaction,. Paper presented at the 19th annual meeting of the Society for.

Guss, E. (2005). Emotional intelligence: Our most versatile tool for success. SHRM White Paper .

Law, K. W. (2004). The construct and criterion validity of. Journal of , 89, 483-496.

Lopes, P. N. (2005). Emotion regulation abilities and the. Emotion. , 5, 113-118.

Sparkman, L. A. (2009). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition, and. 185-211 , 9.

Wong, C. a. (2002). The effects of leader and follower emotional intelligence on. Leadership Quarterly, , 13, 243-274.

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