Principals’ Leadership Practices and Mathematics Pass Rate in Jamaican High Schools

Abstract

This research was intended to explore the degree to which leadership practices impacted Jamaican schools' mathematics achievement. More specifically, the researchers examined Jamaica's high school students' CSEC mathematics performance in relation to principals' instructional leadership behaviors as measured by teachers' perceptions, using Kouzes and Posner (2003) Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI). Data were gathered from 2-4 teachers from 42 high schools in Jamaica. The results indicated that those principals who had high LPI scores also lead schools with higher mathematics pass rates than those principals who had low LPI scores. More specifically, "enabling others to act" was established as the leadership practice most associated with high mathematics performance. Finally, we discovered that the traditional Jamaican high schools were more likely to experience satisfactory mathematics pass rates.

An Investigation into Principals’ Instructional Leadership and Lecturers’ Organizational Commitment Within the Community Colleges in Jamaica

“…The attitudinal approach to organizational commitment is a unidimensional approach that measures affective commitment in explaining the nature of the lecturer's identification with the college that will equally connect both their individual and organizational goals and values (Menezes et al, 2015). Proponents of the attitudinal approach to organizational commitment believe that lecturers' commitment to staying on the job and positive outcomes were based on their work experiences, how they viewed the college, and personal attributes (Palmer et al, 2014). When the lecturers are highly committed, identification of their values and goals along with that of their college becomes paramount (Majid & Ibrahim, 2017).…”

“…Behavioural commitment is a unidimensional approach measured by continuance commitment (Menezes et al, 2015). Using the behavioural approach to explain lecturers' organizational commitment to various actions within the organization, the lecturer would reach a state of commitment by engaging in behaviours that would be difficult to rescind (Palmer et al, 2014). Mowday and McDade (1979) stated that this course of action would lead to the lecturer being committed if actions are clear, if there is shared knowledge, actions are necessary, and situations exist that make it a challenge to be withdrawn (Majid & Ibrahim, 2017).…”