Principals’ Instructional Leadership Practices and their Influence on Student Academic Performance in Secondary Schools of Pema Gatshel Dzongkhag

Kezang Choden*

Working as a Principal in Yoechen Central School, PemaGatshel District, Bhutan

*Corresponding Author: Kezang Choden, Working as a Principal in Yoechen Central School, PemaGatshel District, Bhutan.

Received: August 30, 2026; Published: September 30, 2026

Abstract

This quantitative descriptive-correlational study examined principals’ instructional leadership practices and their relationship with student academic performance across three secondary schools in Pema Gatshel Dzongkhag. Data were collected from 465 participants, comprising 396 students, 62 teachers, and 7 principals, using structured Likert-scale questionnaires. The findings indicated that leadership was associated with student learning primarily through indirect pathways. School Climate and Culture showed a statistically significant positive relationship with students’ academic achievement (r = .101, p = .045), while Instructional Supervision and Monitoring was positively associated with School Climate and Culture (r = .307, p < .001). In addition, Administrative Communication was strongly associated with Teacher Support and Mentorship (r = .883, p < .001). The findings highlight the importance of strengthening a positive school climate, instructional supervision, effective communication, and teacher support as key aspects of instructional leadership.

Keywords: Instructional Leadership; School Climate; Academic Performance; Secondary Education; Bhutan

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Citation

Citation: Kezang Choden. “Principals’ Instructional Leadership Practices and their Influence on Student Academic Performance in Secondary Schools of Pema Gatshel Dzongkhag". Acta Scientific Paediatrics 9.2 (2026): 21-32.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Kezang Choden. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.