Impact of Training on Virtual Instructional Leadership in Jamaica During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Globally, instructional leadership is critical to the educational reform agenda of schools. The purpose of this study was to ascertain educators’ perceived effectiveness of virtual instructional leadership training on school leadership in Jamaica during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also sought to examine if there are statistically significant differences in the scores of the composite dependent (instructional resource provider; maintain visible presence; professional development; maximize instructional time; monitoring students’ progress; feedback on teaching learning; curriculum implementation) based on school level, capacity in which educators work and gender. The instrument used to collect data for this study was adopted by the researcher. The instrument was converted into a Google Form to make it easier for distribution and data collection. The authors reported that the instrument achieved reliability of Cronbach Alpha amongst the tenets ranging from 0.87-0.80. Overall, the instruments’ reliability statistic is. 95. The data was analyzed using weighted means and MANOVA. The results revealed that the educators rated four dimensions of the instructional leadership scale High, maintaining visible presence; professional development; feedback on teaching learning, and curriculum implementation. In addition, instructional resource provider; maximize instructional time, and monitoring students’ progress were rated moderate. Another finding of this study is that there is no statistically significant difference in the scores of the composite dependent variables based on school level, capacity served, and gender. Another implication of the finding of this research is that principals must ensure that instructional time is maximized by managing and planning for instruction, assessment, and other teacher-student activities while developing strong relationships with teachers and students by rewarding them for achieving targets. Keywords: Covid 19 Pandemic, Curriculum implementation, Feedback on teaching and learning, Instructional resource provider, Maintain visible presence, Maximize instructional time, Monitoring students’ progress, Professional development, Virtual instructional leadership.