Differences Between Teachers’ and School Principals’ Perceptions of Learning Skills Promotion in the Classroom
Differences Between Teachers’ and School Principals’ Perceptions of Learning Skills Promotion in the Classroom. Prof. Nassar Tarabiy Prof. Souad Abu Rukon Nassart1@gmail.com Saburukon38@gmail.com Ministry of education Abstract The promotion of learning skills has become a central goal of contemporary education systems, reflecting increased emphasis on learner autonomy, higher-order thinking, and lifelong learning competencies (Sermons, 2018). Although these skills are widely acknowledged as essential, teachers and school principals may differ in how they perceive their importance and implementation in classroom practice. Such differences are shaped by professional roles, organizational conditions, and individual beliefs. This quantitative study examined differences between teachers’ and school principals’ perceptions of promoting learning skills in the classroom and identified factors predicting these perceptions within the Israeli educational context. Data were collected from 350 educators (210 teachers and 140 principals) using a structured questionnaire measuring perceived importance of learning skills, perceived implementation, organizational support, self-efficacy, and perceived barriers. Data were analyzed using reliability analysis, independent-samples t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression. The findings revealed statistically significant differences between teachers and principals across all measured dimensions, with principals reporting higher perceptions of importance, implementation, and organizational support. Organizational support, self-efficacy, perceived importance, and professional role emerged as significant predictors of perceived implementation of learning skills. These findings highlight the importance of instructional leadership and supportive organizational conditions in aligning perceptions and strengthening the promotion of learning skills in classroom practice. The study extends existing research by integrating organizational and psychological predictors within a single quantitative model and by providing role-based evidence from a centralized education system, with implications for other centralized education systems worldwide. Organizational support emerged as the strongest predictor, followed by self-efficacy and professional role. Keywords: learning skills; instructional leadership; organizational support; self-efficacy; teachers’ perceptions; principals’ perceptions; centralized education system 1. Introduction Promoting learning skills among students has become a primary educational goal in many education systems worldwide (Sermons, 2018). This global emphasis is reflected in international policy frameworks that highlight learning skills such as critical thinking, self-regulation, and adaptability as essential competencies for future-oriented education systems (OECD, 2019). Learning skills encompass a range of cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and social abilities that support students’ academic achievement, lifelong learning, and future success (Sanchez et al., 2022; Veletić et al., 2023). These skills are increasingly associated with personalized and competency-based educational approaches, enabling learners to manage their learning processes and pursue individual aspirations in rapidly changing social and economic contexts (ElSayary, 2024). Despite growing consensus regarding the importance of learning skills, their promotion in classroom practice remains uneven. Teachers often face structural constraints such as curriculum overload, assessment pressures, and diverse student needs, which may limit opportunities to explicitly foster learning skills during instruction. As a result, discrepancies may emerge between the perceived importance of learning skills and their actual implementation in everyday teaching practices. Teachers and school principals occupy distinct yet interconnected roles within the education system. Teachers are primarily responsible for classroom-level implementation and direct interaction with students, whereas principals operate at the organizational level, shaping school vision, instructional priorities, and professional development frameworks (Jackson, 2018). These differing professional responsibilities may lead to variations in perceptions regarding the importance, feasibility, and support for promoting learning skills. Comparative research examining teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of the same educational phenomenon remains relatively limited. While teachers’ perceptions and influencing factors have been more extensively documented, principals’ perceptions have received less empirical attention (Lin & Chen, 2024). Furthermore, the specific variables shaping these perceptions and the extent to which they differ between roles remain underexplored. In the Israeli educational context, this issue is particularly salient. Educational reforms increasingly emphasize higher-order thinking, independent learning, and adaptability, while schools operate within a centralized system characterized by accountability demands and curricular regulation. These conditions may intensify perceptual gaps between policy-level intentions and classroom-level realities, underscoring the need to examine how teachers and principals perceive the promotion of learning skills and what factors predict these perceptions. Accordingly, the present study aims to examine differences between teachers’ and school principals’ perceptions of promoting learning skills in the classroom and to identify demographic, organizational, and psychological factors predicting these perceptions. By addressing these issues within the Israeli context, this study seeks to contribute to the international literature on learning skills, instructional leadership, and educational change. 2. Theoretical Framework and Literature Review 2.1 Learning Skills: Definitions and Conceptual Perspectives Learning skills have been conceptualized in the literature as a multidimensional construct encompassing cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and behavioral components. Recent studies emphasize the role of self-regulated learning processes in promoting learning skills, highlighting learners’ planning, monitoring, and reflection within instructional contexts (Schunk & Greene, 2018; Panadero, 2020), which enable learners to manage, regulate, and optimize their learning processes (Sermons, 2018). Early conceptualizations emphasized the cognitive aspects of learning skills, focusing on information processing, strategy use, and problem-solving abilities. More recent approaches have expanded this perspective to include metacognitive awareness, self-regulation, and motivational factors, highlighting learners’ active role in controlling their learning processes (Sanchez et al., 2022). This shift reflects broader educational paradigms that view learning as an active, self-directed process rather than passive knowledge acquisition. Contemporary research further underscores the relevance of learning skills in personalized and competency-based education systems. Veletić et al. (2023) argue that learning skills are essential for adapting instruction to individual learners’ needs, enabling flexibility and responsiveness in diverse classroom contexts. Similarly, ElSayary (2024) emphasizes that learning skills serve as a foundation for lifelong learning, particularly in environments characterized by rapid technological and societal change. Despite variations in terminology and emphasis, there is broad agreement that learning skills are teachable competencies that can be systematically developed through intentional instructional practices. This consensus has led to increased attention to how schools and educators can effectively promote learning skills within everyday teaching and learning environments. 2.2 Promoting Learning Skills in Classroom Practice While the theoretical importance of learning skills is widely acknowledged, their translation into classroom practice presents significant challenges. Teachers play a central role in fostering learning skills … Read more
