Mixed-methods study finds distributed leadership and school culture predict teacher-development implementation in Sidama secondary schools

A mixed-methods study of secondary schools in Ethiopia’s Sidama National Regional State found that distributed leadership and collaborative school culture were associated with fidelity in implementing the Teacher Development Program (TDP). The structural equation model explained 68.4% of the variance in TDP implementation, while interviews identified bureaucratic reporting, inadequate resources and weak links between professional development and career advancement as major constraints.

The study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design under a pragmatist paradigm. Researchers first administered a structured Likert-scale survey to teachers and school-level leaders, then conducted semi-structured interviews with senior regional officials to help contextualize the quantitative relationships. Data collection took place face to face from February through May 2024. The authors also reviewed organizational reports, TDP plans, continuing professional development frameworks and official records.

The sampling procedure began with five administrative zones in Sidama, followed by random selection of 24 secondary schools. All school-level leaders in those schools were invited, while every third teacher on school rosters was selected systematically. Of 590 questionnaires distributed, 562 were returned and judged suitable for analysis, a response rate of 95.2%. The survey sample included 54.8% classroom teachers and 45.2% school-level leaders. Separately, 12 TDP Directorate Directors and Bureau Heads participated in purposively selected interviews.

The analysis used SPSS version 26 and AMOS version 24. After screening for univariate and multivariate outliers, researchers handled missing data of less than 3% through mean imputation and applied structural equation modeling and path analysis. A pilot study with 40 participants produced a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.89 for the TDP implementation scale, while exploratory factor analysis yielded a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value of 0.842. The final measurement model had factor loadings from 0.792 to 0.954, and NFI, CFI and TLI fit indices each exceeded 0.98.

The model estimated a standardized total association between leadership and TDP implementation of β = 0.652. The indirect association through collaborative culture was β = 0.354, with p < 0.001. Leadership was also reported to have a significant direct positive relationship with institutional culture and teacher engagement, while institutional culture had a significant direct positive relationship with implementation. These are model-based associations and predictive relationships; the study did not experimentally establish that changing leadership or school culture would cause implementation to improve.

Interviews helped explain the statistical pattern. Leaders reported that TDP activities could be treated as recordkeeping for audits rather than as drivers of classroom change, with principals’ time diverted to bureaucratic reporting. Participants also described shortages of internet access, functional libraries and other digital and material resources. The absence of a clear connection between completion of continuing professional development and salary or career advancement was associated with fading professional vigor, while the school culture emerged in interviews as the mechanism through which leadership visions were translated into collective practice.

The findings support the study’s emphasis on distributed instructional leadership, teacher autonomy and collaborative institutional culture. In the proposed model, shared authority and professional autonomy formed the principal input, collaborative culture served as an intervening condition, and TDP implementation fidelity was the outcome. The authors describe teacher engagement through professional vigor, dedication and absorption. These constructs were not linked directly to measured student achievement in the reported results; implementation was assessed through survey responses and supporting document review rather than student academic outcomes.

The authors recommend shifting attention from compliance-oriented monitoring toward instructional leadership development, distributed decision-making, decentralized TDP resources and individualized professional support. They also advocate transparent, merit-based links between professional growth and career advancement, along with streamlined reporting to give teachers more time for instructional improvement. These are recommendations arising from the study’s model and interviews, not evidence that the proposed reforms have already been evaluated for effectiveness.

Several limitations restrict the findings. Implementation was measured through self-perception and document review, and the research did not measure the effects of external political fluctuations on teacher motivation. The geographic scope was also limited; the limitations section states that the study focused on three administrative zones, although the methods describe stratified selection across five zones. The authors call for research across a wider range of socio-economic settings, studies using objective indicators such as standardized student outcomes, and action research testing specific leadership interventions in practice.

Overall, the study identifies instructional leadership and collaborative culture as major predictors of TDP implementation in the surveyed Sidama secondary schools. It also shows that policy implementation was accompanied by practical obstacles: reporting demands, resource deficits, limited professional incentives and hierarchical cultural patterns. Because the design was observational and geographically bounded, the results should be interpreted as evidence from one regional setting rather than as a universal estimate for Ethiopian secondary education.

Subject of Research: Implementation of teacher development programs in Sidama secondary schools and the predictive roles of leadership and institutional culture

Article Title: Implementation and challenges of teacher development programs in secondary schools of Sidama national regional state

Article References: Amache, A. A., Lodesso, S. L., & Estifanos, A. B. (2026). Implementation and challenges of teacher development programs in secondary schools of Sidama national regional state. Discover Education, 5(1), Article 931. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-026-02147-9

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s44217-026-02147-9

Keywords: teacher development, Sidama Region, secondary education, distributed leadership, instructional leadership, institutional culture, teacher engagement, Ethiopia, mixed-methods study, Implementation, challenges, teacher