In the context of the growing integration of digital technologies into classroom instruction, understanding how school-level conditions shape elementary school teachers’ use of information and communication technology (ICT) has become an important issue in educational technology research. This study examines the influence of school leadership on elementary school teachers’ ICT use in teaching, with particular attention to the mediating role of professional learning communities. Using data from principals and teachers in the Taiwan sample of the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey, this study employs a multilevel design with teachers nested within schools and analyzes the data using hierarchical linear modeling. The results show that professional learning communities are positively associated with elementary school teachers’ ICT use in teaching. Distributed leadership does not exert a direct effect on teachers’ ICT use, but operates indirectly through professional learning communities. In contrast, instructional leadership shows both direct and indirect effects. These findings extend existing research on school leadership and technology integration by showing that different leadership approaches influence elementary school teachers’ instructional use of ICT through distinct pathways, with professional learning communities serving as a key organizational mechanism linking school leadership to classroom-level technology use.
Hsieh et al. (Tue,) studied this question.