Digital leadership as manifested by primary state school leaders

Abstract

The effects which digital technology has left on today’s society call for forward-looking schools to prepare students for a knowledge-based era by adequately equipping them with the competences they need in order to thrive in a highly digitalized world. Digital leadership plays a crucial role in this task. Our schools need leaders who are aware that, like society, learners’ needs have also evolved. Digital leaders believe that technology plays an important role in supporting meaningful student achievement, and therefore have a strong vision for integrating technology not only in the curriculum but also in the daily running of the school. Unless digital leadership is promoted among school leaders, such a vision cannot be developed. This study investigates what importance is being given to digital leadership in primary state schools in Malta and how it is being manifested. The literature indicates various models of digital leadership; however, the model identified by Eric Sheninger has been chosen as a backdrop for this research. Using a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design, data was gathered through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews held with heads and assistant heads of schools. The questions in both research instruments were based on the seven pillars of digital leadership identified by Sheninger. Findings show that whilst some characteristics of digital leadership such as the use of social media for communication, public relations, and branding are being manifested, very few school leaders have a clear, long-term vision for technology integration. Social media is not being used as a pedagogical tool or to discover resources with which to improve school culture and professional practices. The concept of building Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) still needs to catch up, and learning spaces which reflect the needs of today’s learners are not being given enough importance. Such shortfalls are mainly due to the lack of digital leadership awareness among school leaders as well as other factors like fear of technology misuse by children, time constraints, teacher overload, excessive bureaucracy resulting from an educational management model which is still very much centralized. These findings highlight the need for professional development initiatives in line with Sheninger’s digital leadership pillars among school leaders and teachers, as well as a shift towards a more decentralized educational system.