Digital Communication: Priorities in the Relationship of Principal Leadership and Collaborative Community at Malaysian School

Abstract

The impact of the development of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) also involved the communication element. This new medium of communication has taken its place recently in the most community to create a virtual community. Therefore, this quantitative study of 202 respondents was carried out to identify the contribution of this new medium of digital communication in the relationship between principal leadership and collaborative community in schools. The data were collected through the questionnaire and analysed using AMOS software version 22. It was found that principal's leadership contributed significantly to digital communication (β = .073, CR = 6.393, P = .000), the new medium of digital communication also contributed significantly to the collaborative community (β = .149, CR = 7.787, P = .000), and its' also contributed as a mediator between principals leadership and community at schools. These findings indicate that the relationship between school principals and collaborative community can be enhanced by the use of a new medium of digital communication such as WhatsApp, Telegram and any other methods. Through this study, a model of collaborative community measurement was developed. This model can be used as a guidance for all the principals to apply this medium in school and also provides a clear signal for the school leaders to achieve the ninth shift of Malaysia Education Blueprint (PPPM 2013-2025) that is a collaboration with parents, communities and the private sector as a whole.

Internalization of School Culture to Foster Awareness of Pancasila Values in Elementary School Students

“…Related to growing awareness of Pancasila values, from interviews with principals, several aspects need to be considered in shaping good school culture, including the need for synergy with all school components that can be done by optimizing the use of communication media with teachers and parents of students. In line with the results of research which states that principals and communities always enhance collaboration using digital media such as WhatsApp, telegram, and other methods [39]. Other results include an increase in the quality or achievement of the school, holding activities that support the professionalism of teachers, building a solid work spirit of all school components, and the principle being used as a motivator, facilitator, and role model for all school members.…”

Implementation of Principal’s Digital Leadership in Communication and Teacher Professional Development at School

“…Currently, communication between the principal and the collaborative community at the school is conducted through virtual media. It was reported that the relationship between the principal and community collaborative could be improved by using digital communication media such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, Facebook, and WeChat [9]. One of the critical factors to achieve goals is the digital communication factor because it helps achieve the school organization's activities, goals, and workflows.…”

“…The research on school leaders' ability in digital communication has been conducted by Yopi and Wahid [8], which was the systematic use of social media platforms in the form of Standard Operating Procedures for Digital Content. In addition, Yusof et al [9] showed the relationship between principals and community collaboratives could be improved by using digital communication media such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, Facebook, and WeChat.…”