Teachers' Perceptions of School Directors' Leadership Practices and Morale in Cambodian Secondary Resource Schools

Abstract

This study described teachers' perceptions of school directors' leadership practices and teachers' own morale in Cambodian Secondary Resource Schools, and compared perceptions of leadership across teacher characteristics. A quantitative descriptive and comparative design was used. A sample of 452 teachers was drawn from a population of 4,524 teaching staff across 50 Secondary Resource Schools in five regional clusters of Cambodian provinces, using stratified random sampling with simple random selection by lot within each province. Teachers rated their directors' leadership practices using the Leadership Practices Inventory, Observer form, and reported their own morale using the Purdue Teacher Opinionaire. Both instruments were back-translated and field tested in Khmer, and piloted with 58 teachers before full administration. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA. Teachers rated all five leadership practices as high, with Encouraging the Heart rated highest and Challenging the Process rated lowest, and perceptions did not differ significantly by gender, age, educational level, or years of teaching experience. Teacher morale was also rated high overall, led by Satisfaction with Teaching and Rapport among Teachers, while Teacher Rapport with the School Director and School Facilities and Services were rated lowest. Interviews with a subset of teachers and directors showed shared emphasis on teacher quality and collaborative culture, alongside differing views on school community and effective leadership. The findings describe an under-researched school type and point to director responsiveness as an area for development.