Headmasters’ level of Instructional Leadership as Perceived by Music Teachers: Evidence from Primary Schools in Guangyuan, Sichuan Province

Instructional leadership has been widely recognized as essential for improving teaching quality, yet empirical evidence from western Sichuan and from non-core subjects such as music remains limited. This study aims to investigate the overall perception of primary school music teachers in Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province, regarding the headmaster's level of instructional leadership, filling a gap in empirical evidence within non-core subjects and underdeveloped regions. The research utilized the validated Chinese version of the PIMRS scale, gathered 62 valid questionnaires through convenience sampling, and analyzed the headmaster's performance across four dimensions of instructional leadership using descriptive statistics. The findings indicate that the surveyed teachers generally believed the headmaster's instructional leadership was quite high, with the "securing support from within and outside the school" dimension scoring the highest, while the "fostering a positive learning culture" dimension received a lower rating. On a more specific level, the headmaster excelled in enhancing teacher relationships and fostering communication and collaboration, but their motivational behaviors towards students were perceived as weaker. This study offers a fresh perspective on understanding instructional leadership in rural western regions and for marginalized subjects, providing practical insights for improving headmaster training, optimizing resource allocation, and advancing school improvement efforts.