Assessing Digital Leadership of Middle Leaders in Malaysian Schools: A Quantitative Study

Middle leaders play a pivotal role in promoting digital initiatives and supporting instructional transformation. As digital transformation accelerates in educational settings, understanding teachers’ perceptions of middle leaders' digital leadership has become critical. The main objective of this quantitative study is to examine the level of digital leadership among middle leaders in schools. A total of 260 participants from the Northern Zone of Malaysia were selected through a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using an adapted questionnaire with a ten-point Likert Scale, and analyzed descriptively, including mean and standard deviation, using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 26. The findings reveal that middle leaders exhibit a moderate-high level of digital leadership (M = 5.77, SD = 0.598) on a 10-point Likert scale. Among the dimensions, Support and Empowerment (SE) and Professional Learning (PL) recorded the highest means (M = 5.87), underscoring the prioritization of teacher capacity building and collaborative digital integration. Conversely, the Assessment and Feedback (AF) dimension scored the lowest (M = 5.49), suggesting that digital assessment practices remain underdeveloped among middle leaders. The study contributes to ongoing discussions on differentiated digital leadership competencies and emphasizes the need for balanced engagement across all dimensions of digital leadership. In conclusion, leadership development programs should emphasize assessment and feedback mechanisms. Tailored coaching and reflective practices could enhance digital leadership among middle leaders in schools.