The importance of the school principals' role in the digital transformation of the education sector
International Journal of Comparative Education and Development
ISSN: 2396-7404
Article publication date: 14 December 2023
Issue publication date: 21 February 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the critical elements that contribute to the effective adoption of educational digital resources (EDRs) in schools, with a focus on school principals and their leadership, from a strategic pedagogical standpoint.
Design/methodology/approach
Using survey data from 200 school principals, measurement and structure models are tested through structural equation modeling to quantify the impact between constructs.
Findings
The findings indicate that the most important factor influencing how effectively schools are transforming digitally is how beneficial school principals believe EDRs to be. Other important elements include the environment of the school, the technical assistance and service provided for the EDRs, and the professional and personal background of the principal.
Practical implications
Principals should be a fundamental component of educational plans for digital transformation, considering things like their age, leadership and teaching experience. Other components include contextual elements like school size, complexity and digital culture. A school principal's ability to promote an open dialogue – that enables educational communities to view the integration of EDRs into pedagogical models as an opportunity to improve outcomes – can assist a digital culture transition, rather than via the principal's authority or bureaucratic influence.
Originality/value
This research is among the pioneer to study the role of school principals in the UAE towards understanding the direction for digital transformation.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors confirm that they received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Since submission of this article, the following author(s) have updated their affiliation(s): Syed Zamberi Ahmad is at the School of Management, Canadian University of Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Khalizani Khalid is at the Dubai Business School, University of Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Citation
Al Nuaimi, H., Ahmad, S.Z. and Khalid, K. (2024), "The importance of the school principals' role in the digital transformation of the education sector", International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 17-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCED-05-2023-0044
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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