Abstract

This research aimed to develop a model to improve leadership among basic education school administrators in the digital era. The study used a Research and Development (R&D) approach with four phases. Phase 1 assessed the current situation, desired future state, and priority needs for leadership development in the digital era through five-point Likert scale questionnaires, interviews, and observation forms. The sample included 365 school administrators and secondary school teachers selected via stratified random sampling. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with six school administrators recognized for their best practices, chosen through purposive sampling. Phase 2 focused on developing the leadership development model through focus group discussions with 11 purposively selected experts. Phase 3 involved implementing the developed model at one secondary school over three months (October–December 2025), with 30 administrators and teachers participating. Phase 4 evaluated the model’s suitability, feasibility, and usefulness through reviews by 21 experts chosen via purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (means, percentages, and standard deviations), needs prioritization, and content analysis.

The findings revealed that the leadership development model for basic education school administrators in the digital era comprises six core components. These include: (1) Principles of the model, which cover digital technology–based learning management, self-development toward lifelong learning, digital networking, human resource capacity building, and supervision, monitoring, and evaluation; (2) objectives aimed at improving leadership competencies, skills, and behaviors in the digital age, encouraging the application of knowledge and skills to actual administrative practices, and providing guidelines for staff development, learner quality enhancement, and school progress in digital learning management; (3) content domains, viewed as two interconnected dimensions. The first includes the essential parts of the development model: Digital Innovation Learning, Visionary Leadership in the Digital Era, Digital Innovation–Driven Management, Digital Communication and Professional Networking, and Digital Competencies and Lifelong Learning. The second dimension relates to the development methods used to implement these components, such as professional development workshops, self-directed and reflective learning, collaborative knowledge sharing, and best-practice study visits; (4) development procedures consisting of five stages: needs analysis and pre-development assessment, planning digital technology–based learning activities, preparing digital infrastructure, executing leadership development in the digital age, and evaluating training and development; (5) model assessment techniques, which include pre-implementation, implementation phase, follow-up, post-development change, and satisfaction evaluations; and (6) success factors, highlighting administrators’ continuous learning and self-improvement, a digital vision with practical strategies and plans, and systems thinking skills.

The model’s implementation results revealed that participants’ average scores after implementation were significantly higher than before, indicating positive progress in leadership development in the digital age. Additionally, participants expressed the highest level of satisfaction with the model. Expert evaluations also indicated that the model demonstrated the highest levels of suitability, practicality, and usefulness across all areas.

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