Enhancing School Leadership Capacity Among Primary School Teachers In Phnom Penh, Cambodia: A Focus on Mentorship Involvement

Authors

Sovannara Chroeng , Sarom Mok , Sothea Lim

DOI:

10.51601/ijersc.v7i5.1121

Published:

2026-10-26

Downloads

Abstract

This study looked at how mentoring can help primary school teachers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, develop their leadership skills. The study’s goal was to determine whether mentorship involvement was related to teachers’ perceptions of their readiness in the areas of instructional, managerial, and strategic leadership as well as indications of leadership sustainability. The research design was correlational, quantitative, and non-experimental. An online survey created by the researcher was used to gather data from primary teachers in Phnom Penh City. The survey assessed leadership sustainability, leadership readiness, and mentorship involvement. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression analysis performed in SPSS were used to analyse the data. The results showed that participants had high levels of work satisfaction, retention intentions, leadership readiness, mentorship engagement, and succession readiness. Although there were strong correlations observed between the leadership preparedness categories, neither leadership preparedness nor sustainability outcomes were shown to be statistically significantly correlated with mentorship involvement. Certain sustainability factors were found to be more strongly predicted by years of teaching experience than by mentorship participation alone. The results advance our knowledge of leadership development and the variables affecting school leadership sustainability, notwithstanding the lack of statistically significant correlations between mentorship involvement and leadership capacity. Future studies should look at the organization and quality of mentorship in more general educational contexts.

Keywords:

School Leadership, Leadership Skills, Capacity, Mentorship Involvement, Primary School Teachers,

References

Barrett, H. (2024). Key considerations in developing a school leadership program. BU Journal of Graduate Studies in Education, 16(S1), 1–5. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1441840.pdf

Bartanen, B., Husain, A. N., Liebowitz, D. D., & Rogers, L. K. (2024). The returns to experience for school principals. American Educational Research Journal, 61(5), 1030–1073. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312241266216

Bastian, K. C., & Drake, T. A. (2023). School leader apprenticeships: Assessing the characteristics of interns, internship schools, and mentor principals. Educational Administration Quarterly, 59(5), 1002–1037. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X231196502

Boon, Z. S. L. (2022). Coaching: An approach for leadership development in the Singapore education system. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 11(1), 89–103. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-09-2021-0089

Buckman, D. G., & Sloan, B. (2022). Repairing the principal pipeline: Does hiring type slow the leak? International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 17(1), 1–22. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1345898

Castro, A. J. (2022). Tensions between what principals know and do: The role of labor market conditions on teacher recruitment and hiring. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 21(4), 756–779. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2020.1833352

Chhoeung, C., Mok, S., & Lim, S. (2026). Development and validation of the structural model of leadership characteristics among high school directors in Cambodia. International Journal of Educational Research & Social Sciences, 7(5), 659–673. https://doi.org/10.51601/ijersc.v7i5.1113

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Creswell, J.W. and Creswell, J.D. (2023) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage Publications Ltd.

Fowler, F. J. (2014). Survey research method (5th ed.). Centre for Survey Research, University of Massachusetts.

Fullan, M. (2014). The principal: Three keys to maximizing impact. Jossey-Bass.

Grissom, J. A., Egalite, A. J., & Lindsay, C. A. (2021). How principals affect students and schools: A systematic synthesis of two decades of research. The Wallace Foundation. https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Documents/How-Principals-Affect-Students-and-Schools.pdf

Hargreaves, A., & Fink, D. (2003). Sustaining leadership. Phi Delta Kappan, 84(9), 693–700.

Hastings, L. J., & Sunderman, H. M. (2020). Evidence-based practices in mentoring for leadership development. New Directions for Student Leadership, 2020(168), 75–84. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.20410

Heale, R., & Twycross, A. (2015). Validity and reliability in quantitative studies. Evidence-Based Nursing, 18(3), 66–67. https://doi.org/10.1136/eb-2015-102129

Isoye, S. T., & Wasonga, T. A. (2024). School leadership capacity and student achievement: A study of high schools. European Journal of Educational Management, 7(1), 45–57. https://doi.org/10.12973/eujem.7.1.45

Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. B. (2020). Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches (7th ed.). SAGE.

Kafele, B. (2015). The principal 50: Critical leadership questions for inspiring schoolwide excellence. ASC.

Kor, K. A., Mok, S., Hor, M., & Som, S. (2026). Exploring the relationship between leadership behaviors and individual innovation effectiveness among administrators of the Northeastern TVET Institutes in Cambodia. International Journal of Educational Research & Social Sciences, 7(5), 759–768. https://doi.org/10.51601/ijersc.v7i5.1115

Leithwood, K., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2020). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited. School Leadership & Management, 40(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2019.1596077

Lim, S. (2023). Impact of school directors’ leadership behaviors on teachers’ morale: A case study of secondary resource schools in Cambodia. Doctoral Dissertation, Beltei International University, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Lim, S., Prak, P., & Mok, S. (2026). Understandings leadership behaviors and moral in secondary resource schools, Cambodia: Perceived evidence-based practices among school directors and teachers. International Journal of Educational Research & Social Sciences, 7(5), 723–734. https://doi.org/10.51601/ijersc.v7i5.1105

Mok, S., Yen, S., Lim, S., Chhun, R., Yoeun S., Heng, V. (2026). From ICT use to technostress: Understanding instructional disruption among new generation school teachers. ASEAN Journal of Educational Research and Technology, 4(3), 523-538.

Okilwa, N. S., Cordova, A. J., & Haupert, K. (2022). Learning in a new land: School leadership in support of refugee students. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 21(3), 695–717. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2020.1843061

Özdemir, N., Gümüş, S., Kılınç, A. Ç., & Bellibaş, M. Ş. (2022). A systematic review of research on the relationship between school leadership and student achievement: An updated framework and future direction. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 50(1), 110–134. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432221118662

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Moorman, R. H., & Fetter, R. (1990). Transformational leader behaviors and their effects on followers’ trust in leader, satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors. The Leadership Quarterly, 1(2), 107–1

Virella, P. M., & Cobb, C. D. (2022). Leader developers: Perspectives of mentor principals in an administrator preparation program. Journal of Educational Supervision, 5(3), 81–99. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1372275

Author Biographies

Sovannara Chroeng, Ph.D. Candidate, The University of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Author Origin : Cambodia

Sarom Mok, Ph.D., Main Advisor, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Author Origin : Cambodia

Sothea Lim, Ph.D., Co-Advisor, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Author Origin : Cambodia

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

How to Cite

Chroeng, S., Mok, S., & Lim, S. (2026). Enhancing School Leadership Capacity Among Primary School Teachers In Phnom Penh, Cambodia: A Focus on Mentorship Involvement . International Journal of Educational Research & Social Sciences , 7(5), 780–787. https://doi.org/10.51601/ijersc.v7i5.1121

Similar Articles

<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.