Principal instructional leadership as a predictor of employability skills among grade 12 students in the Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

The crisis in the relationship between graduates’ skills as well as the nature of the skills needed for the labor market has become a universal phenomenon that has its effects and consequences on the social, economic, and political aspects of individuals and countries, in which unemployment is considered a real and inevitable consequence. Due to this, the study intended to investigate teacher’s perception of the structural association among the designated principal instructional management variables and their influences on employability skills among grade 12 students in the sultanate of Oman. This study adopts quantitative methods specifically the survey design to seek information from the respondents on their perception on the grade 12 students’ employability skills. The research framework consists of three variables (principle instructional management, employability skills and school cliamate). The sample of this study consisted of a total of 1172 respondents, analysized using Structural Equations Modeling (SEM) in order to examine the relationship between the principle instructional management and students’ employability skills. The results of the study indicate that instructional principal could have both direct and indirect influence on students’ employability skills. It was also discovered that collaborative efforts of the school principal and the school climate which comprises the teaching staffs, non-teaching staffs, parent body as well as conducive academic environment could highly enhance students’ employability skills. Therefore, the current study has practically justified the importance of instructional leadership to the enhancement to the total development, improvement as well as inculcation of the required students’ employability skills. The study recommends that, future research should conduct such empirical research on students’ themselves. Meaning that student’s understanding and perception on the role of their school management in enhancing employability skills must be investigated.