BRIDGING NUMBERS AND NARRATIVES: HOW DIGITAL LEADERSHIP DRIVES SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT IN PUNJAB’S SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

The present study examined the role of digital leadership in facilitating sustainable school improvement in secondary schools of Punjab, Pakistan. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used, by combining quantitative trends with qualitative insights for gaining a holistic view of the phenomenon. Four districts, both public and private secondary schools affiliated to Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) in these districts were included in the study. Stratified random sample was used in the quantitative phase to ensure representation in the various sectors. Validated questionnaires, drawn from existing frameworks for digital leadership and sustainable school improvement, were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, independent t tests, ANOVA, correlation, and multiple regression were used as the analysis methods with significant positive relationships between digital leadership practices and indicators of school improvement. In the qualitative phase, purposive sampling was applied to select schools with a high and a low digital leadership score. Twenty principals and teachers (10 from high scoring and 10 from low scoring schools) were interviewed with semi‑structured interviews and thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcripts. Inter‑rater reliability was good between two independent coders (Cohen's κ = 0.84). The quantitative and qualitative results were integrated and presented in conjunction, highlighting the strength of digital leadership's influence as well as how it is helping to achieve sustainable school improvement. The results support a model that suggests five key components leadership vision, technology integration, professional development, adaptability and innovation when coupled together, lead educational transformation in a sustainable manner. The findings of this study have implications for policy and practice