Identification and Validation of Antecedents, Consequences and Barriers of Visionary Educational Leadership in Elementary Schools

This study aimed to identify antecedents of, consequences of and the most important barriers to visionary educational leadership in elementary schools with mixed approach. Qualitative data were analyzed using coding method and quantitative data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. Based on the results, the following antecedents were identified: decentralization, selection on merit, social culture building, human resource empowerment, knowledge of religious values, and foundations of education. Furthermore, consequences included guiding learning environment, organizational satisfaction, pure life, and operationalizing document of the fundamental transformation. As for barriers, centralized system, high volume of instructions and circulars, and unpreparedness of the infrastructure to implement long-term plans in schools earned the highest rankings, respectively.
Introduction
This article identifies the antecedents and consequences of visionary educational leadership in Mashhad-Iran elementary schools. The characteristics of this leadership style include designing and explaining the correct and attractive vision, creating a communication network among members and empowering them. The leader's vision influences the performance of the team. This vision provides a common thinking framework at school such that all members perceive the same picture of what the school intends to achieve in the future.
The lack of a visionary leadership creates challenges such as threatening the education system with future events, lack of transparency in goals and ideals, the frequency of cross-cutting decisions, and the lack of forward-looking decisions (Sadeghzadeh, et al., 2008). Studies show that school principals in Iran spend most of their time on less important and marginal matters such as logistics and administrative affairs, and spend less time on long-term and futuristic planning. In fact, the programs presented by school principals are usually stereotypical work reports, which do not have the necessary creativity to improve the quality of school education. (Banar, et al., 1394). Therefore, considering the challenges caused by the lack of a visionary leadership, serious steps should be taken to facilitate the implementation of a visionary leadership at schools. Hence, the researcher examined antecedents of, consequences of, and barriers to visionary educational leadership in elementary schools. Visionary leadership as a new leadership style was first operationalized by Sashkin (1988); generalized by Nanos (1992) and developed by Bennis (1994). Several studies have been conducted on the antecedents and consequences of visionary leadership such as The Impact of Visionary Leadership on Teachers' Professional Performance and Public Education Policies (Pribudhiana, et al., 2020); The effect of Visionary Leadership Style on Teachers' Motivation (Albir Nurut, 2017); The Impact of Visionary Leadership on the Process of Change in Schools (Waris Tasrim, 2015); The Relationship between Visionary Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness (Taylor, 2014); The effect of Leadership on Job Satisfaction (Baltaci, et al., 2012); The Impact of Visionary Leadership on Followers' Performance (Yilmaz, et al., 2010; Dalgin, et al., 2010); The Effect of Empowerment and Development of Followers' Performance on the Implementation of Visionary Leadership (Kantabutra et al., 2006); The Effect of Leaders' Emotional Communication on the Implementation of Visionary Leadership (Kevin, 2006). The researcher's review of literature indicated no studies were conducted on the antecedents of, consequences of and barriers to visionary educational leadership in Iran.
Methodology
This study answered the following questions:
1- What are the antecedents of visionary educational leadership in elementary schools of Mashhad?
2- What are the consequences of visionary educational leadership in elementary schools of Mashhad?
3- What are the most important barriers to visionary educational leadership in elementary schools of Mashhad?
The statistical population of the qualitative phase was academic experts and prominent school principals in Mashhad. In the qualitative phase, 23 individuals were selected by purposive sampling method. The statistical population of the quantitative phase was elementary school principals of Mashhad (n=720), of whom 251 individuals were selected stratified random sampling based on the Cochran sampling formula. Data collection tool was semi-structured interviews in the qualitative phase and a researcher-made questionnaire in quantitative phase. The face and content validities of the questionnaire were confirmed using the CVR coefficient. Inter-rater agreement and member check were used to confirm its reliability. Content and construct validities were used to validate the instrument in the quantitative phase. The final questionnaire used had a convergent validity >0.5 and a composite reliability > 0.7. Qualitative data obtained from the interviews were analyzed by open, axial and selective coding. Quantitative data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis.
Results
In response to the first question of the research, 22 indicators were extracted, which were summarized in 5 dimensions of decentralization, selection on merit, social culture building, human resource empowerment and knowledge of religious values, and the foundations of education.
In response to the second question of research, 21 indicators were extracted and summarized in four dimensions as guiding learning environment, organizational satisfaction and belonging, pure life and operationalizing document of the fundamental transformation.
In response to the third research question, the Friedman’s test was used to identify and rank the most important barriers to visionary educational leadership… Comparison of the average rankings obtained from the quantitative phase of the research showed that the highest mean score pertained to the centralized system (14.33), followed by high volume of instructions and circulars (13.05), and then unpreparedness of the education infrastructure to implement long-term plans and goals (12.23).
Discussion and conclusion
The results of the present research showed that Iranian schools need a transformation and a forward-looking view of education processes. This transformation is possible by visionary educational leaders. According to the results of this study, the implementation of visionary leadership in Iranian schools requires decentralization and delegation of authority to schools. Competency-based selection and professional development are also other requirements. Awareness of the community and its accompanying with school programs, as well as financial and professional support were other antecedents. The implementation of visionary leadership in Iranian schools will have positive consequences as those obtained in this study: guiding learning environment, organizational satisfaction and belonging, pure life, and operationalizing document of the fundamental transformation. Also, 19 main barriers were identified, the most important of which were the centralized system, the high volume of circulars and the unpreparedness of the education infrastructure to implement long-term plans and programs, respectively.
The limitations of this study were identification of visionary educational managers to participate in this study, and different interpretations of the subject due to its novelty.
It is suggested that educational administrators be selected from those with a deep and purposeful vision in school management. Also, appropriate infrastructure, in addition to financial and professional support for schools, should be provided in the community. The achievements of the effective implementation of this type of leadership in the studied schools, as well as the relevant actions and experiences should be shared with all schools in the form of panels, articles, publications and books.