The effects and challenges of instructional leadership implementation among principals of vocational special education secondary schools in malaysia

Abstract

Instructional leadership is an important leadership approach in strengthening the effectiveness of school management and enhancing the quality of teaching and learning. However, the implementation of instructional leadership within the context of Vocational Special Education Secondary Schools (VSESS) involves more complex challenges, particularly when principals are required to balance administrative responsibilities and instructional leadership simultaneously. Accordingly, this study aims to explore the effects and challenges of implementing instructional leadership among principals of Vocational Special Education Secondary Schools in Malaysia. This study employed a qualitative approach using a case study design involving five VSESS principals as research participants. Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews and analyzed manually using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the implementation of instructional leadership has positive effects on strengthening the focus on teaching and learning, fostering professional collaboration between principals and teachers, and developing a school organizational climate that is more supportive of the learning needs of students with special educational needs. Nevertheless, the study also identified several key challenges in its implementation, including internal factors such as limited knowledge and skills in instructional leadership, as well as external factors such as time constraints and heavy administrative workloads. The implications of this study emphasize the need to strengthen principals’ instructional leadership competencies to support the development of more effective and sustainable vocational special education schools. This study contributes to the educational leadership literature by providing context-based empirical evidence on the implementation of instructional leadership in vocational special education, an area that remains underexplored in educational research in Malaysia.