Expert Consensus on Digital Leadership Competencies for School Principals in Malaysia: A Fuzzy Delphi Approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/mrj.vol13.2.8.2024Keywords:
digital leadership, school principals, fuzzy delphi method, leadership competencies, educational technologyAbstract
In today's rapidly evolving digital era, school principals must possess strong digital leadership competencies to effectively manage and lead educational institutions. Digital transformation in education requires more than just technological infrastructure; it demands leaders who can integrate digital tools strategically while fostering an innovative learning environment. Keeping this in mind, the goal of this study is to identify the essential digital leadership competencies for school principals in Malaysia. Using the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM), this study aims to obtain expert consensus on the key dimensions and elements of digital leadership. A total of 15 experts, including Senior Lecturers from Institut Aminuddin Baki (IAB), Senior Officers from PPD, JPN, and KPM, as well as experienced school principals, participated in this study. An instrument containing four competency dimensions: Personal Competencies, Job Requirement Competencies, Organizational Environmental Competencies, and Social Role Competencies was presented for expert evaluation. The findings indicate that all proposed elements were accepted, with the fuzzy scores meeting the FDM threshold (d≤0.2), achieving expert agreement above 75% (87% to 100%), and passing the alpha cut value (α-cut ≥0.5) with scores ranging from 0.918 to 0.960. The defuzzification process ranked competencies based on expert consensus, identifying Personal Competencies as the most critical dimension. Among the key elements, technological mastery, risk-taking, resilience, and exemplary technology use were found to be the most crucial for school principals. Additionally, competencies related to digital data management, ethical digital practices, and stakeholder collaboration were highly prioritized. In conclusion, this study successfully validates a framework for digital leadership competencies in the educational sector. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers in designing professional development programs and leadership training. Schools can utilize these results to enhance principal training, ensuring they are equipped to lead in a technology-driven educational landscape. Future research should explore the implementation of these competencies in various educational settings to further refine digital leadership strategies.
References
Abildinova, G., Assainova, A., Karymsakova, A., Abykenova, D., & Temirkhanova, M. (2024). Transforming High School Education with Digital Tools: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 23, 668–694. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.23.8.34
Aksoy, C. (2025). Building Effective Cyber Security Leadership: The Crucial Role Of Leaders In Protecting Businesses Against Cyber Threats. Kalite ve Strateji Yönetimi Dergisi, 5, 33–49. https://doi.org/10.56682/ksydergi.1539408
Al-Hadrawi, B., & Reniati, R. (2023). Digital Leadership: Navigating the Future with Strategic Conviction. International Journal of Magistravitae Management, 1, 130–145. https://doi.org/10.33019/ijomm.v1i2.23
Alladatin, J., Lionel, R., & al-chikh, I. (2023). School principal’s training programs, challenges, and improvement opportunities: rapid review. International Journal of Educational Innovation and Research, 3, 17–26. https://doi.org/10.31949/ijeir.v3i1.6830
Anwar, S., & Saraih, U. N. (2024). Digital leadership in the digital era of education: enhancing knowledge sharing and emotional intelligence. International Journal of Educational Management, 38. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-11-2023-0540
Badawy, H., Mohamed, F., Ali, A., Gul, A., Khan, Y., Dashti, S., Abdulla, S., & Katheeri, A. (2024). Transforming Education Through Technology and School Leadership (p. 182). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-0880-6.ch013
Beram, S., Awang, M., Ismail, R., & Noor, N. (2021). Application of the Fuzzy Delphi Method to Organisational Leadership Competencies for Educational Middle Leaders. Management Research Journal, 10, 82–93.
Chanda, T., Sain, Z., Shogbesan, Y., Phiri, E., & Akpan, W. (2024). Digital Literacy in Education: Preparing Students for the Future Workforce. International Journal of Research, 11, 327–344. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.13347718
Drini, L. (2024). Principals’ Practices in Technology Integration for a Quality School. Kosova Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi, 5, 53–87. https://doi.org/10.29228/kerjournal.78148
Ertiö, T., Eriksson, T., Rowan, W., & McCarthy, S. (2024). The role of digital leaders’ emotional intelligence in mitigating employee technostress. Business Horizons, 67(4), 399–409. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2024.03.004
Fink-Hafner, D., Dagen, T., Doušak, M., Novak, M., & Hafner-Fink, M. (2019). Delphi Method: Strengths and Weaknesses. Advances in Methodology and Statistics, 2, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.51936/fcfm6982
Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Qadri, M. A., & Suman, R. (2022). Understanding the role of digital technologies in education: A review. Sustainable Operations and Computers, 3, 275–285. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004
Hu, J. (2023). Principals Digital Leadership: Connotation Structure, Development Status, and Improvement Path. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Educational Innovation and Philosophical Inquiries, 12, 16–23. https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/12/20230769
Jahanvand, B., Bagher Mortazavi, S., Asilian Mahabadi, H., & Ahmadi, O. (2023). Determining essential criteria for selection of risk assessment techniques in occupational health and safety: A hybrid framework of fuzzy Delphi method. Safety Science, 167, 106253. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2023.106253
Jamil, M. R. M., & Noh, N. M. (2020). Kepelbagaian metodologi dalam penyelidikan reka bentuk dan pembangunan. Qaisar Prestige Resources.
Jamil, M. R. M., Siraj, S., Hussin, Z., Noh, N. R. M., & Sapar, A. A. (2014). Pengenalan asas kaedah Fuzzy Delphi dalam penyelidikan reka bentuk pembangunan. Selangor: Minda Interlek Agency.
Goh, K. M. & Mansor, M. (2024). Unpacking the Realities of Digital Leadership Among School Leaders: A Quantitative Study. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 9(4), e002801. https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v9i4.2801
Kumar, S. (2024). Ethical Considerations in Digital Education (pp. 155–177).
McCarthy, A. M., Maor, D., McConney, A., & Cavanaugh, C. (2023). Digital transformation in education: Critical components for leaders of system change. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 8(1), 100479. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100479
Mihai, R., & Cretu, A. (2017). Leadership in the Digital Era. Valahian Journal of Economic Studies, 10, 65–72. https://doi.org/10.2478/vjes-2019-0006
Ministry of Education Malaysia. (2019). Laporan Tahunan 2019 (Pelan Pembangunan Malaysia). 1–37.
Ministry of Education Malaysia. (2023). Digital education policy. Ministry of Education Malaysia, 82.
Mohd@Ariffin, J. A., & Md Rami, A. A. (2023). Application of the Fuzzy Delphi Method to Identify Middle Leaders’ Competencies in Crisis Management. Management Research Journal, 12(1), 26–37. https://doi.org/10.37134/mrj.vol12.1.3.2023
Musaigwa, M., & Kalitanyi, V. (2024). Effective leadership in the digital era: an exploration of change management. Technology Audit and Production Reserves, 1, 6–14. https://doi.org/10.15587/2706-5448.2024.297374
Mustari, M., & Nurhayati, S. (2024). Multifaceted Instructional Leadership of School Principals to Improve Student Character in The Digital Era. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 8(2), 488. https://doi.org/10.35723/ajie.v8i2.459
Navaridas-Nalda, F., Clavel-San Emeterio, M., Fernández-Ortiz, R., & Arias-Oliva, M. (2020). The strategic influence of school principal leadership in the digital transformation of schools. Computers in Human Behavior, 112, 106481. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106481
Nita, V., & Gutu, I. (2023). The Role of Leadership and Digital Transformation in Higher Education Students’ Work Engagement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20, 5124. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20065124
Nur Fitria, T. (2021). Artificial Intelligence (AI) In Education: Using AI Tools for Teaching and Learning Process.
Okon, E., & Asuquo, M. (2024). Principals’ Perspectives on the Challenges, and Ways Forward in Digitalizing Management of Secondary School Educational System. 126–136.
Ongena, G., Morsch, P., & Ravesteyn, P. (2024). Digital Leadership Competency to Enhance Digital Transformation. International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management, 21. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219877024500421
Philip, J., Gilli, K., & Knappstein, M. (2023). Identifying key leadership competencies for digital transformation: evidence from a cross-sectoral Delphi study of global managers. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 44(3), 392–406. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-02-2022-0063
Rego, B., Lourenço, D., Moreira, F., & Santos-Pereira, C. (2023). Digital transformation, skills and education: A systematic literature review. Industry and Higher Education, 38. https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222231208969
Schmitz, M.-L., Antonietti, C., Consoli, T., Cattaneo, A., Gonon, P., & Petko, D. (2023). Transformational leadership for technology integration in schools: Empowering teachers to use technology in a more demanding way. Computers & Education, 204, 104880. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104880
Shamsuddin, F., & Abdul Razak, A. Z. (2024). Expert Consensus on the Usability of the SLC3DM Model : A Fuzzy Delphi Method Application. 13(1), 45–55.
Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times. CA Corwin Press.
Shifa Rumeli, M. (2023). Developing Education Leaders In Managing Adaptation Of Technology: Focus Group Analysis. January.
Shrestha, D., & Khadka, A. (2022). The Role of Digital Technologies in Educational Transformation (pp. 140–154).
Siong, L. K. (2024). Technology Leadership a nd Teachers ’ Technology Integration in Malaysia : Concept and Issues. 13(4), 3713–3738. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v13-i4/24376
Siraj, S., Alias, N., DeWitt, D., & Hussin, Z. (2013). Design and Developmental Research: Emergent Trends in Educational Research. Pearson Malaysia. https://books.google.com.my/books?id=H0yOnQAACAAJ
Torres, J., Zerna, L., Ramirez, R., & Uy, F. (2024). The Role of Digital Leadership in Transforming Educational Systems: A Global Perspective. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14228115
Yusof, N., Hashim, N. L., & Hussain, A. (2022). A review of fuzzy Delphi method application in human-computer interaction studies. In AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 2472). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0094417
Yusoff, A. F. M., Hashim, A., Muhamad, N., & Hamat, W. N. W. (2021). Application of Fuzzy Delphi Technique to Identify the Elements for Designing and Developing the e-PBM PI-Poli Module. Asian Journal of University Education, 17(1), 292–304. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v17i1.12625
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Nur Hafiza Hamzah, Intan Marfarrina Omar, Norfariza Mohd Radzi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
