Creating and Validating a Digital Leadership Model for University Teachers, Liaoning Province

Background and Aims: In the era of digital transformation, digital leadership has emerged as a critical component of educators' ability to navigate and utilize data literacy in increasingly digitalized environments. University teachers, in particular, need digital leadership to adapt to advancements in technology and enhance their teaching and administrative skills. This study focuses on constructing and validating a digital leadership model specifically for university teachers in Liaoning Province. The research aims to identify the key components of digital leadership and develop a model that addresses the current and future needs of educators in this evolving landscape. Methodology: The study employs a grounded theory approach to build a theoretical structure of digital leadership for university teachers. Field interviews with a diverse group of university educators were conducted to gather qualitative data. This data was then analyzed through a series of open, axial, and selective coding processes, allowing the identification of six key categories that form the foundation of digital leadership. These categories were then subjected to quantitative analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the fit of the proposed model. Validation was achieved through iterative model testing and refinement, ensuring that the final model accurately represents the digital leadership characteristics of university teachers. Results: The analysis revealed six key dimensions of digital leadership for university teachers: Digital Leading Insight: The ability to foresee digital trends and incorporate them into teaching strategies. Intelligent Teaching Organization: Effective integration of technology in teaching methods to enhance learning outcomes. Industry-Education Integration Promotion: Fostering collaborations between academia and industry to align educational practices with industry needs. Teacher Professional Development Learning: Ongoing self-improvement and learning to stay updated with technological advancements. Digital Cooperation and Communication Influence: Facilitating effective digital communication and collaboration within and across institutions. Digital Education Policy Decision-Making: Engaging in the formulation and implementation of digital policies in education. The model demonstrated a high degree of fit across all indices, confirming its validity as a framework for understanding digital leadership in the context of university educators. Conclusion: The study provides a validated model of digital leadership for university teachers, highlighting six core competencies that educators must develop to succeed in the digital era. Recommendations for fostering digital leadership include offering leadership development training, optimizing blended learning environments, enhancing collaboration, driving organizational change, establishing incentive mechanisms, and promoting an integrated culture of industry-education collaboration. The results suggest that addressing these areas will significantly enhance the digital leadership capacity of university teachers in Liaoning Province, thereby improving educational outcomes in the digital age.