ASSESSMENT OF THE LEADERSHIP STANDARDS OF THE
SECONDARY SCHOOL LEADERS IN HAI PHONG CITY:
BASIS FOR AN INTERVENTION PROGRAM A Dissertation Presented To
The Faculty of the Graduate School
Southern Luzon State University, the Philippines
In Collaboration with Thai Nguyen University
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

recommended for oral examination.
___________________________________
DR. RICARYL CATHERINE P. CRUZ
Research Adviser
Approved by the Oral Examination Committee, in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Management offered by
Southern Luzon State University, Republic of the Philippines in collaboration with Thai
Nguyen University, Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
__________________________ _____________________________
Member Member
____________________________ DR. SUSANA A. SALVACION
Chairman Dean, Graduate School
Accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of
Philosophy in Educational Management offered by Southern Luzon State University,
Republic of the Philippines in collaboration with Thai Nguyen University, Socialist Republic
of Vietnam.
____________ DR. WALBERTO A. MACARAAN
Date Vice President for Academic Afairs
iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Writing a doctoral dissertation is a gratifying but difficult and sometimes nerve wrecking
endeavor that only few engaged in because it requires a lot of sacrifices and hard work from the
researcher. However, at the end of the task, one experiences a wonderful feeling of joy, happiness,
relief and fulfillment.
The researcher would like to extend her sincerest gratitude and thanks to the following people
who were very instrumental in the fulfillment of this research.
DR. CECILIA N. GASCON, President of the Southern Luzon State University in the


Page
APPROVAL SHEET
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF APPENDICES
ABSTRACT
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iii

iv

vi

viii

ix

x
Chapter I. INTRODUCTION 1
Background of the Study
Objectives of the Study
Hypothesis
Significance of the Study
Scope and Limitation of the Study
Definition of Terms
3
7


32

32

33

34

34
Chapter IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 38
Profile of respondents
Perception of the Respondents on the Current Leadership
Standards of the Secondary School Leaders in Hai Phong
City

Perception of the Respondents on the Current Leadership
Standards of the Secondary School Leaders in Hai Phong
City

Proposed Intervention Program
38
46
55


1 Scale of values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

2 Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents' Profile in
Terms of Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

3 Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents' Profile in
Terms of Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

4 Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents' Profile in
Terms of Civil Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

5 Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents' Profile in
Terms of Educational Attainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

6 Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents' Profile in
Terms of Monthly Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

7 Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents' Profile in
Terms of Length of Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

8 Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents' Profile in
Terms of Length of Management Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

9 Mean Distribution of the Responses on the Leadership Standards of the
Secondary School Leaders in Hai Phong City in terms of
Shared Vision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

10 Mean Distribution of the Responses on the Leadership Standards of the
Secondary School Leaders in Hai Phong City in Terms of Culture

20. Correlation of the Responses on Societal Context with profile of Respondent 66

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LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix Page
A Letter to Respondents and Questionnaire 83

B Raw Data 91

C Weighted mean for Gender, age in leadership standards of
Shared Vision; Culture of Learning; Management; Family
and Community; Ethics; and Societal Context. 99

D Weighted mean Monthly income, Civil status, Education
attainment in leadership standards of Shared Vision; Culture
of Learning; Management; Family and Community; Ethics;
and Societal Context. 100


Nam/ Address of the
Institution
Southern Luzon State University
Graduate School
Lucban, Quezon
Date Completed April 2014
Adviser
DR. RICARYL CATHERINE P. CRUZ
ABSTRACT
The primary intent of this study was an assessment of the leadership standards of the
secondary school leaders in Hai Phong City, as a basis for intervention program. The
leadership standards of the secondary school leaders essential for analysis are shared vision,
culture of learning, management, family and community, ethics, and societal context.
This includes the perception of the respondents on the current leadership standards of the
secondary school leaders in Hai Phong City; determine the problems encountered in the
current leadership standards of the secondary school leaders; ascertain the significant
difference on the problems encountered when the respondents are grouped according to their
profile and propose an intervention program to enhance the leadership standard of the
secondary school leaders in Haiphong City. This study used correlation in analyzing the
variables. Measurement of the leadership standards of the secondary school leaders is limited
from the questionnaire. The questionnaire was used as a major data-gathering instrument and
the unstructured interview was done to cross check the responses of the respondents. There
xi

were 203 leaders (principals/headmasters) used as respondents in the study. The weighted
mean and the Chi - Square value analysis were used to analyze the data. In the evaluation
based on the criteria of leaders, the secondary-school principals in Hai Phong have been good

economic center of the northern region with enormous potentiality.
XIV
th
Party Congress Resolution city has identified development goals of the city in
2015, which is: "To promote comprehensive, the potential advantages of the port city, focus
all resources to promote the process of industrialization, modernization and international
integration, to create a breakthrough development of Haiphong in 2015, a city to become an
industrial port services towards civilization, the university; rapid economic development and
sustainability; urban development deserve the grade I-national urban centers; cultural
development is the spiritual foundation of society; defense-enhanced security; leadership, the
political, the battle of the whole Party and the effectiveness and efficiency of the political
system continues to be improved; ensure progress, justice, social security; continue to
improve and enhance the quality of life of the people. "
The reality of Vietnamese secondary education shows that the educational managers are
the ones who lead and manage the overall educational activities at school. This is the all over
educational process with the goals of developing over ally the junior secondary students (year
2

6 - year 9 classes) in the direction of forming and enhancing the students’ morality, and
broadening the educational scale in a reasonable way.
However, in the process of managing the schools, the managers cannot change the
school activities themselves because one of the facets of management is the implementation
of every activity which can only be done by the efforts of the other people. If the managers
would like the staffs to participate in the process, the managers have to make them become
aware of the policies and accept them. For a school, the teachers and staffs are the ones who
support and create the potential for the head masters to carry out the changes if they are the
right ones. It is believed that the teachers and staffs are the people who play the decisive roles
for the school successes.
If they would like to renovate the educational system to meet the needs of the society,
each school has to train and educate the teachers and staffs to become highly qualified ones,

the curriculum was revised to give more emphasis to Vietnamese history, language, and
literature and, in Hanoi, to the teaching of revolutionary ethics and Marxism-Leninism.
(http://countrystudies.us/vietnam/43.htm).
In Vietnam, children enjoyed 12 years of basic education on a half-day basis before they
moved on to college or university or began to work. Education played a central role in
Vietnam. Not only was the devotion to study one of society’s core values, but education was,
of course, also perceived as a chance of advancement. There were huge education needs for
Vietnam’s young ones, and the public school system could not always satisfy them. In
general, families invested a lot of time and money to send their children to a good school and
ensured they would have a bright future. (http://www.internations.org/vietnam-
expats/guide/living-in-vietnam-15470/education-in-vietnam-3).
Education had always had a central role in Vietnam culture and society. It was seen as
the avenue of advancement and families routinely sacrifice much to ensure their offspring get
4

the required education. The government of Vietnam had for some time set the priority of
education in terms of its budget. In 2008, the Department of Finance and Planning, MOET
reported that education occupied approximately 20 percent of all state budget expenditures
and accounted for 5.5 percent of GDP. (Christopher Runckel, President of Runckel &
Associates)
Dr. Nguyen Van Trang, Director General of the Secondary Education Department,
Ministry of Education and Training stated in his writing entitled Secondary Education in
Vietnam that “Vietnam's Education Law dated December 11, 1998 had affirmed that the goals
of education were to comprehensively develop Vietnam's human resource, with morality,
knowledge, good health, and loyalty to the idea of national independence and socialism; to
develop individual personality and capacity for the building and protection of the country.
The goals set forth for secondary education are students' all-round development in terms
of morality, physical body, arts, and basic skills so that they could be prepared to pursue
further studies or to become fully responsible citizens contributing to the building of the
country.

leadership has now been increasingly defined by a far larger and more demanding set of roles
including financial and human resource management and leadership for learning. In many
countries today, the men and women who have run schools are overburdened, underpaid and
near retirement, whereby there have been only few people lining up for their jobs.
Policymakers needed to adapt school leadership policy to new environment by
addressing the major challenges that had arisen and intensified over the past decades. As
expectations of what school leaders should achieve have been changed, the definition and
distribution of tasks, as well as the levels of training, support and incentives need revision.
(www.oecd.org/edu/schoolleadership)
6

Haiphong was a coastal city in a distance of 102 kilometers to the Northeast of Hanoi
capital, borders with Quang Ninh province to the North, Hai Duong province to the West,
Thai Binh province to the South, and Bac Bo Bay in the East Sea and Hai Nam Island to the
East. The city was located in the “two corridors and one belt” of economic cooperation
between Vietnam and China, and had a significant position in the socio-economic
development, national defense and security of the North and the whole country.
Haiphong, known as the Red Flamboyant City, was the biggest port and industrial city
in the North of Vietnam, located in the Northern delta area. Haiphong was the third largest
city of Vietnam after Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi capital. Haiphong was one of the five
cities under direct control of the Central Government, the first-rank central city at national
level together with Da Nang and Can Tho. As of December 2011, Haiphong population was
1,907,705 people, of which 46.1% live in urban area while 53.9% in rural area, that made
Haiphong the 3
rd
crowded city in Vietnam.
Currently, there have been 203 secondary schools in Haiphong City providing education
and training for around 88,976 students. There have been some changes and progress in the
management of education. However, those achievements have not really met the innovation
and development requirements of the society. The education quality in some schools was

2.5. Ethics;
2.6. Societal Context.
3. Ascertain the significant difference on the current leadership standards of the
Secondary School Leaders in Haiphong City when the respondents are grouped according to
their profile.
4. Develop an intervention program based on the results of the study.
8

Hypothesis
There is no significant difference on the leadership standards of the secondary school
leaders when the respondents are grouped according to their profile.
Significance of the Study
Ministry of Education and Training: The results of the study and the proposed
solutions of the Department of Education and Training of Haiphong City can serve as a good
idea for MOET to consider and request the Department of Education and Training of every
Province and City in Vietnam to assess the current status of the leadership standards of the
school leaders in general and the secondary school leaders in particular. Moreover, MOET
could think of possibilities to conduct further studies to design a complete training program to
improve the leadership skills of school leaders.
Department of Education and Training of Haiphong City: The results of the study
might serve as a good basis for the DET to think of possibility to assess the current leadership
standards of the principals of all primary and high schools in Haiphong City. DET could
propose proper solutions to the Ministry of Education and Training for the designing of a
complete training program to improve the leadership skills of school leaders.
Offices of Education and Training: The results of the study and the proposed
solutions may serve as a good recommendation/suggestion for the OET of districts and wards
in Haiphong City to see the status and problems faced by the secondary school leaders in their
area. OETs will then report to DET and request for proper actions.
Secondary school leaders: The results of the study and the proposed solutions by the
researcher helped the school leaders see their strengths, weaknesses and they themselves

understanding and clarification of the study. Below are the terms:
10

Age refers to the age of the respondents when the study has been conducted. Conceptually,
this is the length of time that one has existed; duration of life or One of the stages of
life: (the age of adolescence; at an awkward age.)
Civil status refers to the conjugal status in relation to marriage laws of a school leader in
Vietnam.
Culture of Learning according to Edward Tylor maybe defined as the complex whole which
includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and
habits acquired by man as a member of society. Likewise in the present study, culture of
learning refers to the ability of the school leaders in promoting the success of all
students by advocating, nurturing and sustaining a school culture and instructional
program conducive to student learning and staff professional development.
Educational attainment Is an achievement or the act of achieving; accomplishment.
Educational attainment refers to the highest educational qualification or academic
degree that a school leader has obtained.
Ethics is defined as a moral philosophy or code of morals practiced by a person or group of
people. Ethics refers to the ability of the school leaders in promoting the success of all
students by acting with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner.
Family and Community Refers to the ability of the school leaders in promoting the success
of all students by collaborating with families and community members, responding to
diverse community interests and needs and mobilizing community resources. One thing
that all sides in the educational debate agree upon is that parents and local communities
should be involved in education.
Gender Is used to describe the characteristics, roles and responsibilities of women and men,
boys and girls, which is socially constructed. Gender refers to the personal sexual
identity of a school leader, regardless of his/her biological and outward sex.
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Chapter II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
This chapter presents the summary of the reviews of literature and studies, which are
found closely related to the study being conducted. These are incorporated in order to present
justification of the variables on the leadership standards of secondary school leaders in
Haiphong City, Vietnam. This also includes the research paradigm serving as the heart of the
study.
School Leadership
Like other complex human activities, leadership is difficult to pin down. It might even
be unwise to narrow it unnecessarily. Nonetheless, a working definition can provide a useful
frame of reference.
At the core of most definitions of leadership are two functions: providing direction and
exercising influence. Leaders mobilize and work with others to achieve shared goals. This
definition has several important implications:
Leaders do not merely impose goals on followers, but work with others to create a
shared sense of purpose and direction. In public education, the ends are increasingly centered
on student learning, including both the development of academic knowledge and skills and
the learning of important values and dispositions.
Leaders primarily work through and with other people. They also help to establish the
conditions that enable others to be effective. Thus, leadership effects on school goals are
indirect as well as direct.
Leadership is a function more than a role. Although leadership is often invested in - or
expected of - persons in positions of formal authority, leadership encom - passes a set of
functions that may be performed by many different persons in different roles throughout a
school.
13

In summary, school leaders are those persons, occupying various roles in the school,
who provide direction and exert influence in order to achieve the school’s goals. Formal
leaders are those persons in formal positions of authority - are genuine leaders only to the

autonomy and a greater focused on schooling and school results had made it essential to
reconsider the role of school leaders. There was much room for improvement to
professionalize school leadership, to support current school leaders and to make school
leadership an attractive career for future candidates. The ageing of current principals and the
widespread shortage of qualified candidates to replace them after retirement made it
imperative to take action.
School leadership had become a priority in education policy agendas internationally. It
played a key role in improving school outcomes by influencing the motivations and capacities
of teachers, as well as the school climate and environment. Effective school leadership was
essential to improve the efficiency and equity of schooling.
Moreover, Beatriz Pont, Deborah Nusche, Hunter Moorman (2008) stated that as
countries were seeking to adapt their education systems to the needs of contemporary society,
expectations for schools and school leaders were changing. Many countries had moved
towards decentralization, making schools more autonomous in their decision making and
holding them more accountable for results. At the same time, the requirement to improve
overall student performance while serving more diverse student population was putting
schools under pressure to use more evidence-based teaching practices.
There were concerns across countries that the role of principal as conceived for needs of
the past is no longer appropriate. In many countries, principals had heavy workloads; many
were reaching retirement and it was getting harder to replace them. Potential candidates often
hesitated to apply, because of overburdened roles, insufficient preparation and training,