The Effect Of School Principals’ Educational Technology Leadership On Students’ Academic Performance In Secondary Schools Of Ambo Town Administration

Abstract

Principals educational technology leadership in secondary schools is one of the key determinants associated with the success and failure of students. Therefore, this thesis aimed at investigating the effect of school principals’ educational technology leadership on students’ academic performance in secondary schools of Ambo Town Administration. The ways of school principals’ leading educational technology, indicators of students’ performance, the relationship between principals’ educational technology leadership and the challenges that hinder the principals’ educational technology leadership were considered in this study. Principals’ educational technology leadership was considered as independent variable while students’ academic performance also indicated as a dependent variable. Correlation and mixed research design were used to collect and analyze data. The number of the study population were 331 which consists of teachers, vice principals and principals from which the 185 samples were selected. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the respondents. Both questionnaire and interviews were applied to gather data and was analyzed by both quantitative and qualitative techniques. Quantitative data was analyzed by using descriptive, correlation and linear regression with the help of statistical software SPSS version 26. The results were presented using tables, chart and figures. The findings of the study are: secondary school principals were not focused on educational technology leadership, low students’ performance due to miss leading technology, significant and moderate relation of the two variables, and positive effect of independent variables on dependent means students’ performance. The study also indicated that Digital literacy and training gaps, low readiness and skills of using educational technology, lack of properly managing destruction and information overload, budget constraints for the provision and maintenance and lack of commitment to articulate vision on effective leadership of educational technology were the challenges that hindered principals to lead educational technology. Finally, findings were concluded to the study area and recommendations were suggested on the ways of tackling gaps founded by the study conducted on school principals’ educational technology leadership on students’ academic performance on classrooms and national examination in secondary schools of Ambo Town Administration.