EXAMINING SCHOOL CULTURE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS: TEACHERS’ COLLABORATION, LEADERSHIP PRACTICES, AND STUDENT OUTCOMES

The current study examined school culture in public secondary schools in a district of Punjab, focusing on teachers’ collaboration, leadership practices, and student outcomes. A multi-stage sampling technique was used for the selection of the 192 secondary school teachers from 32 randomly selected schools. A 15-item self-developed questionnaire on five-point Likert scale was used to find teachers' perceptions. For data analysis, SPSS 26 software was used with descriptive statistics. The findings of study revealed positive school culture, with strong teacher collaboration & teamwork. Most of the teachers reported debating problems, sharing ideas, supporting each other, & using online resources in the teaching-learning process. The leadership practices were largely observed positively, with teachers feeling valued and trusted by their head teachers. Still, involvement in decision-making processes was moderate proposing room for improvement in the distributed leadership in the schools. In this regard, the study concluded that while the schools demonstrate the culture of collaboration, trust, and mutual support, there is potential for growth in the shared decision-making and leadership involvement.