Principals' digital leadership on teacher performance and student competence in 21st-century education

Yohanes Umbu  Lede

doi:10.67958/edumaj.v1i2.110

Authors

Yohanes Umbu Lede Universitas Katolik Weetebula, Indonesia Author https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6442-2962

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.67958/edumaj.v1i2.110

Keywords:

21st-century education, digital leadership, school principal, student competence, teacher performance

Abstract

Principal leadership has become increasingly important as schools respond to digital transformation and the demands of 21st-century learning. How principals guide the use of technology may be associated with the quality of teachers' professional practice and the development of students' competencies. This study examined the relationships among principals' digital leadership, teacher performance, and student competencies and assessed the mediating role of teacher performance in senior high schools in Southwest Sumba. A quantitative ex post facto design was employed, involving 30 teachers selected through proportional random sampling. Data were collected using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed using reflective SEM-PLS. The results showed that principals' digital leadership was positively associated with both teacher performance and student competencies. Teacher performance was also positively associated with student competencies and significantly mediated the relationship between digital leadership and student competencies. These findings suggest that digital transformation in schools depends not only on principals' capacity to provide technological direction but also on teachers' ability to translate that direction into effective professional and instructional practices. Strengthening digital leadership should thus be accompanied by sustained teacher professional development and support for instructional innovation to create learning environments that foster students' competencies

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