Impact of school leadership on teachers' instructional practices: examining mediating roles of collegiality and teacher autonomy using Vietnam TALIS 2018

As globalization poses new challenges, enhancing teachers' instructional practices has become crucial for improving productivity and educational equity globally. However, research on the impact of leadership on teachers' instructional practices in developing countries, particularly Vietnam, remains limited. This study utilizes data from Vietnam's 2018 TALIS to explore how instructional leadership and distributed leadership influence teachers' instructional practices through teacher autonomy and collegiality. Hierarchical linear modelling reveals that instructional leadership has no significant impact on teacher autonomy, collegiality, or teachers' instructional practices, whereas distributed leadership, while not directly affecting teacher autonomy or teachers' instructional practices, indirectly enhances teachers' instructional practices through collegiality. These findings suggest that in Vietnam's cultural and educational context, distributed leadership may hold greater potential for driving overall school development. Thus, school leaders should focus on fostering teacher collaboration and autonomy to improve teachers' instructional practices. This study provides new insights into leadership's role in educational reform and offers implications for policy optimization in other middle-income countries.