Women leadership on social innovation and uplifting quality education in K-12 settings: contextual insights

Purpose The study aimed to explore the impact of women’s leadership on social innovation and the uplifting of the quality of education in K-12 settings in Sindh, Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a cross-sectional survey research design. The population consisted of women leaders of K-12 public sector schools. From which 288 women leaders were selected through random sampling. A structured questionnaire comprising five Likert scales was used to collect data, and the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. This study followed a cross-sectional survey research design; a structured questionnaire comprising a five-point Likert scale was used. The study involved women leaders in K-12 schools (N = 288). Random sampling was used. SPSS version 27.0 was used to analyze the data. Findings The analysis highlighted a weak positive correlation between Social Innovation (SI) and Quality of Education (QE), with a correlation coefficient of 0.233, which was statistically significant (p = 0.029). This shows that an increase in social innovation is slightly associated with improvements in the quality of education. Similarly, a weak positive correlation was found between SI and Women Leadership (WL) (rho = 0.262, p = 0.014), highlighting a low but significant association between these two variables. A moderate positive correlation was found between QE and WL (rho = 0.490, p 0.001), highlighting that increased levels of women’s leadership are moderately related to enhancements in the quality of education. Practical implications The results of this study are helpful for officials and policymakers of the public sector schools of the Sindh School Education and Literacy Department to introduce gender-inclusive leadership policies to enhance the quality of education and social innovation. Secondly, the study also highlights the deeper insights into how the cultural dynamic, particularly patriarchal norms and gendered disparities, influence women’s leadership in educational settings. Thirdly, the study will also highlight how the women leaders face the challenges of inequalities in access and quality of education. Originality/value This is a unique study, specifically in the context of Sindh, to study the impact of women's leadership on social innovation and uplifting the quality of education in K-12 settings.