Beyond School Management: Teachers' Lived Experiences of Instructional Leadership Practices of School Principals at Divisoria High School

Abstract

Abstract The evolving demands of educational leadership have shifted the role of school principals from traditional administrative management to instructional leadership that directly influences teaching quality, teacher professional development, and learner achievement. Contemporary educational reforms emphasize that effective school leaders serve not only as managers of school operations but also as instructional leaders who inspire innovation, foster collaborative professional learning, and promote continuous school improvement. While numerous quantitative studies have established the relationship between instructional leadership and school effectiveness, limited qualitative investigations have explored how teachers personally experience the instructional leadership practices of school principals in their day-to-day professional lives. This study explored the lived experiences of teachers regarding the instructional leadership practices of school principals at Divisoria High School. Employing a transcendental phenomenological research design, twelve (12) purposively selected teachers participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's Seven-Step Phenomenological Method. The findings revealed that instructional leadership extends beyond school management by cultivating a culture of trust, collaboration, instructional excellence, and shared accountability that enhances teacher effectiveness and organizational performance. The study recommends strengthening instructional leadership capability-building programs, institutionalizing collaborative professional learning communities, enhancing teacher empowerment initiatives, and developing sustainable instructional leadership frameworks that support continuous school improvement.