The Role of the Principals in Supporting Teachers' Performance in Enhancing Online Learning in Secondary Schools: Teachers' Perspectives

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a global shift to online and hybrid learning, highlighting the pivotal role of school principals in ensuring educational effectiveness (RAND, 2020). Principals were essential in facilitating teacher readiness, maintaining student engagement, and addressing the challenges of online education. Continuous professional development is considered as important aspect for educators for the integration of advanced technological tools, and prioritizing student well-being to foster academic success in digital environments. Therefore, this study explores the role of school principals in enhancing teaching performance during online learning, emphasizing the provision of facilities, teacher-student engagement, and overcoming barriers in managing online education. The phenomenological method was used under the umbrella of the qualitative approach. The data were collected from teachers of five private English-medium schools in Lahore via semi-structured interviews. The sample was selected with purposive sampling to target those schools that successfully managed online education during the pandemic. The following key themes emerged from the findings, i.e., faculty development, community and student engagement, fostering a positive school culture, and resource management. Principals were central to addressing challenges through strategies like teacher training and resource allocation. Based on the results, it is recommended that ongoing professional development and structured support systems are required to improve future online learning practices.