Leadership Competencies of Administrators of Private Islamic Secondary Schools (Sanawiyah Level) in Bangkok

Abstract

This research aimed to: 1) study desirable leadership competencies, and 2) develop a leadership competency framework for administrators of private Islamic schools (Sanawee level) in Bangkok. A mixed-methods research design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 167 administrators and teachers (out of 170 targeted participants) across 17 schools, with 10 participants per school. Qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 7 administrators. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and content analysis, with the MORAL Leadership Competency Model as the developmental framework.

The findings revealed that all five leadership competencies of the MORAL model were rated as highly important (overall mean = 4.62). Among the competencies, Self-Management had the highest mean (4.72), followed by Relationships with Others (4.63), Leadership and Management (4.62), Organizational Development (4.58), and Knowledge (4.54), respectively. Moreover, position and work experience were found to significantly affect expected competency levels: directors and those with extensive experience had notably higher expectations than other groups, with no gender differences. Furthermore, given the specific context of Sanawee schools in Bangkok, which are boarding schools with budget constraints, the researcher identified five additional distinctive competencies (SSTEP): 1) Strategic Negotiation, 2) Boarding School Ecosystem Management, 3) Balancing Tradition and Modernity, 4) Educational Entrepreneurship, and 5) In-depth Care Psychology. Synthesizing the qualitative findings, the researcher integrated all competencies into the "MORAL+SSTEP Competency Framework" as a universal standard for developing and evaluating the potential of Sanawee school administrators to achieve maximum effectiveness.