Abstract:
This study aimed to investigate and compare the current instructional leadership practices
between government and private secondary schools in Malka Nono Sub-city, Shaggar City. It
sought to identify the extent of differences in these practices and pinpoint the major
challenges hindering effective instructional leadership. The study employed a descriptive
survey design. The research involved 114 teachers from one government and three private
secondary schools, selected using a census sampling technique. Data were collected from
both primary and secondary sources. The primary data were gathered using structured
questionnaires, and the analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, specifically mean
and standard deviation, supplemented by t-tests to compare the two school types. The
analysis revealed a significant disparity in instructional leadership practices. Private schools
demonstrated markedly stronger performance across most domains. The most pronounced
gaps were in Providing Incentives for Learning (t=7.63), Providing Incentives for Teachers
(t=5.31), and Protecting Instructional Time (t=4.93). No significant difference was found
only in "Framing School Goals" and "Developing Academic Standards." Major challenges
identified across both sectors included limited resources, inadequate leadership training,
heavy administrative workloads, and weak systems for using student data and providing
incentives. This study investigated instructional leadership practices in one government and
three private secondary schools in Malka Nono Sub-city, Shaggar City, involving 114
teachers (61 governments and 53 private) selected through census sampling. Findings
revealed that private schools demonstrated stronger leadership practices across domains
such as goal setting, communication, supervision, curriculum coordination, and teacher
motivation compared to the government school. Both sectors, however, faced challenges
including limited resources, inadequate leadership training, heavy workloads, and
insufficient use of student data, and weak incentive systems, which constrained effective
instructional leadership. The study recommends enhanced leadership training, improved
resource allocation, data-driven decision making, formal incentive structures, and policy
support to strengthen instructional leadership and improve educational outcomes in the sub
city’s secondary schools.
