Abstract

• The objectives of this research are to investigate the levels of principals’ instructional leadership knowledge and to analyze the principals’ instructional leadership practices on professional development for promoting primary mathematics teaching, to study the relationship between principals’ instructional leadership practices on professional development and teachers’ primary mathematics teaching practices, and to identify the excellent predictors of instructional leadership practices on professional development for promoting primary mathematics teaching. Ninety two principals and five hundred teachers were selected in Yangon City Development Area (YCDA) by using the proportional stratified sampling. For quantitative study, questionnaire for principals and questionnaire for teachers were used to collect data. Interview, documentation, and observation checklists were used in qualitative study. Instrument was reviewed by a panel of expert. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t test, one-way ANOVA, Item Percent Correct (IPC), Pearson product moment correlation, and multiple regression analysis were employed to analyze the data in quantitative study. Cyclical process was used for qualitative study. The principals’ instructional leadership practices on professional development were satisfactory. There were significant differences in principals’ instructional leadership practices on professional development grouped by qualification, professional qualification, positions, level of knowledge. There was an association between principals’ instructional practices on professional development and teachers’ primary mathematics teaching practices. According to the result of multiple regression analysis, providing incentives, organizing learning opportunities, leading learning, and establishing a vision were the excellent predictors for promoting primary mathematics teaching practices. Based on the qualitative data, it appears that principals’ instructional leadership practices on professional development had an influence on teachers’ primary mathematics teaching practices.