Abstract:

This study was carried out using a mixed research method to analyse the relationship between private school administrators' technology leadership competencies perceptions and innovation management, with the aim of improving professional skills of school administrators in Turkey’s Education Vision 2023. In this study, first quantitative and then qualitative method was followed based on the findings of the quantitative research. In this context, this research was designed as Sequential Explanatory Design. The population of the quantitaive part of the research consisted of 216 administrators working in private schools in Avcılar and Kartal districts, İstanbul for the 2019-2020 academic year. In this research 149 administrators participated and by not taking a sample in the study, it was tried to reach all school administrators in the universe. The qualitative data of the study was collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 school administrators (10 principals and 10 deputy managers) working in schools where quantitative data were collected. Parametric statistical analysis techniques was used in the analysis of quantitative data and content analysis method was used in the analysis of qualitative data. In this study, parametric tests were used because the results obtained showed normal distribution. In the quantitative part of the research, the relational scanning model, one of the general scanning models, was used. The data collection tools of the study were technology leadership competencies scale developed by Hacifazlioglu, Karadeniz and Dalgic (2011a) and innovation management scale developed by Bülbül (2012a) was used.

According to the results of the quantitative part of the study, technology leadership competency perceptions of school administrators were high; innovation management competency perceptions were very high. There was no significant difference in terms of gender and job title variable according to the technology leadership competency perception scale of school administrators but a significant difference was found according to the variable of education level, subject, type of school and in-service training in information technologies. While there was no significant difference in terms of educational level, subject and job title variable according to the innovation management competency perception scale of school administrators, significant differences were found according to gender, type of school and participation in-service training related to information technologies. Thus, the average score of school administrators that participated in-service training related to information technologies were significantly higher than school administrators that didn’t participate. A positive and moderate correlation was found between school administrators' technology leadership and innovation management competencies. In this study, it was concluded that there was a similarity between quantitative and qualitative findings. In this context, it was seen that school administrators give importance to the use of educational technologies in the education and training process; support the continuity of the curriculum; increase the motivation of students with content appropriate to their level, and support professional development in educational technologies.

Keywords:

Administrator, Leader, Technology, Inovasion, Turkey’s Education Vision 2023.