Digital Leadership of School Principals in Optimizing Mobile Learning Applications to Improve Literacy in Elementary Schools
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56404/tej.v2i2.121Keywords:
Digital Leadership, Mobile Learning, Literacy, Elementary School, Instructional Innovation, ICT IntegrationAbstract
This study investigates how digital leadership of school principals optimizes the use of mobile learning applications to improve literacy in elementary education. The research employed a qualitative case study design conducted at MI GUPPI Tasikmadu Watulimo Trenggalek, involving one principal and six teachers selected purposively. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and documentation analysis, then analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the principal enacted digital leadership through clear vision, structured resource management, and continuous professional support that guided teachers in integrating mobile learning into literacy instruction. Teachers implemented interactive and contextual learning activities using mobile applications for reading, writing, and comprehension tasks. Students demonstrated increased engagement, improved reading comprehension, and stronger writing performance, along with greater motivation in learning activities. The alignment between leadership practices and instructional implementation created a consistent and supportive learning environment. The study concludes that digital leadership significantly contributes to the effectiveness of mobile learning applications in enhancing literacy outcomes in elementary schools.
References
Bennett, R. E. (2011). Formative assessment: A critical review. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 18(1), 5–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594X.2010.513678
Broadbent, J., & Poon, W. L. (2015). Self-regulated learning strategies and academic achievement in online higher education learning environments: A systematic review. Internet and Higher Education, 27, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2015.04.007
Bryk, A. S., Gomez, L. M., Grunow, A., & LeMahieu, P. G. (2015). Learning to improve: How America’s schools can get better at getting better. Harvard Education Press.
Burston, J. (2015). Twenty years of MALL project implementation: A meta-analysis of learning outcomes. ReCALL, 27(1), 4–20. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344014000159
Carter, N., Bryant-Lukosius, D., DiCenso, A., Blythe, J., & Neville, A. J. (2014). The use of triangulation in qualitative research. Oncology Nursing Forum, 41(5), 545–547. https://doi.org/10.1188/14.ONF.545-547
Crompton, H., & Burke, D. (2018). The use of mobile learning in higher education: A systematic review. Computers & Education, 123, 53–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.04.007
Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: Defining gamification. Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference, 9–15. https://doi.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040
Dexter, S. (2011). School technology leadership: Artifacts in systems of practice. Journal of School Leadership, 21(2), 166–189. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268461102100201
Ertmer, P. A., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. T. (2010). Teacher technology change: How knowledge, confidence, beliefs, and culture intersect. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(3), 255–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2010.10782551
Flyvbjerg, B. (2011). Case study. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (4th ed., pp. 301–316). Sage Publications.
Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059
Fullan, M., & Quinn, J. (2016). Coherence: The right drivers in action for schools, districts, and systems. Corwin Press.
Graham, S., Hebert, M., & Harris, K. R. (2015). Formative assessment and writing: A meta-analysis. The Elementary School Journal, 115(4), 523–547. https://doi.org/10.1086/681947
Guthrie, J. T., Klauda, S. L., & Ho, A. N. (2013). Modeling the relationships among reading instruction, motivation, engagement, and achievement. Reading Research Quarterly, 48(1), 9–26. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.035
Hatlevik, O. E., & Hatlevik, I. K. R. (2018). Examining the relationship between teachers’ ICT self-efficacy for educational purposes, collegial collaboration, lack of facilitation, and the use of ICT in teaching practice. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 935. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00935
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112. https://doi.org/10.3102/003465430298487
Henderson, M., Selwyn, N., & Aston, R. (2017). What works and why? Student perceptions of ‘useful’ digital technology in university teaching and learning. Studies in Higher Education, 42(8), 1567–1579. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1007946
Koehler, M. J., Mishra, P., & Cain, W. (2013). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK)? Journal of Education, 193(3), 13–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/002205741319300303
Kucirkova, N. (2014). iPads in early education: Separating assumptions and evidence. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 715. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00715
Liu, F., Ritzhaupt, A. D., Dawson, K., & Barron, A. E. (2017). Explaining technology integration in K–12 classrooms: A multilevel path analysis model. Educational Technology Research and Development, 65(4), 795–813. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9487-9
Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Mercer, N., & Littleton, K. (2007). Dialogue and the development of children’s thinking. Routledge.
Neumann, M. M. (2018). Using tablets and apps to enhance emergent literacy skills in young children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 42, 239–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2017.10.008
Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), 533–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y
Redecker, C., & Johannessen, Ø. (2013). Changing assessment—Towards a new assessment paradigm using ICT. European Journal of Education, 48(1), 79–96. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12018
Scherer, R., Siddiq, F., & Tondeur, J. (2019). The technology acceptance model (TAM): A meta-analytic structural equation modeling approach to explaining teachers’ adoption of digital technology in education. Computers & Education, 128, 13–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.09.009
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed.). Corwin Press.
Sung, Y. T., Chang, K. E., & Liu, T. C. (2016). The effects of integrating mobile devices with teaching and learning on students’ learning performance: A meta-analysis. Computers & Education, 94, 252–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.11.008
Tondeur, J., van Braak, J., Ertmer, P. A., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2017). Understanding the relationship between teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and technology use in education: A systematic review of qualitative evidence. Educational Technology Research and Development, 65(3), 555–575. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9481-2
Traxler, J. (2018). Learning with mobiles in developing countries—Technology, language, and literacy. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, 10(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJMBL.2018040101
Trust, T., Krutka, D. G., & Carpenter, J. P. (2016). “Together we are better”: Professional learning networks for teachers. Computers & Education, 102, 15–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.06.007
Weston, M. E., & Bain, A. (2010). The end of techno-critique: The naked truth about 1:1 laptop initiatives and educational change. The Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment, 9(6), 1–25.














