An Exploration of Instructional Leadership and Distributed Leadership on Teacher Self-Efficacy and Job Satisfaction Towards School Improvement in an American Curriculum School in Dubai

Abstract

Many teachers do not find teaching to be a desirable profession due to various reasons such as low salaries, an overwhelming workload, lack of resources, cooperation between teachers and educational leaders, little prospects for professional growth, and insufficient gratitude for their efforts. The research paper has a dual interest; first, to investigate whether there is a relationship between instructional leadership, distributed leadership and teachers’ self-efficacy and job satisfaction. Second, whether there is a correlation between instructional leadership, distributed leadership, and a supportive school culture and teachers’ collaboration in an American school in Dubai. The study employed a mixed methods design, including two surveys (one for teachers and one for educational leaders) and semi-structured interviews with educational leaders to address the research questions. The study’s key findings suggest that teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction are positively linked to instructional and distributed leadership. Also, the study indicates that instructional and distributed leadership have a positive association with supportive school culture and teacher collaboration. The study may inform about the importance of creating a supportive school culture and promoting teachers’ collaboration to produce better results. The study has some limitations; one of the limitations is the lack of sample size due to the time constraints that I faced; hence, this research may not represent the entire population. Future research should examine multiple schools in the United Arab Emirates to obtain accurate findings and ensure that the results are representative of the population.