The relationship between teachers' perceptions of school principals' digital leadership skills and their levels of technostress

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between teachers' perceptions of school principals' digital leadership competencies and their own levels of technostress in public schools located in the province of Kırşehir. The research was designed using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. The quantitative phase was structured based on the correlational survey model, while the qualitative phase was conducted using the phenomenological design. In the quantitative phase, data were collected from 619 teachers working in 50 schools selected through stratified sampling. In the qualitative phase, interviews were conducted with 49 teachers selected from within the quantitative sample using the maximum variation sampling method. Quantitative data were collected using two measurement tools: the "School Principals' Digital Leadership Competencies Scale," developed by the researcher to assess teachers' perceptions of digital leadership, and the "Technostress Scale," used to determine their levels of technostress. Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews. In the analysis of quantitative data, independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation analysis were utilized, alongside descriptive statistical techniques such as frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, and standard deviation. The significance level was set at .05. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that teachers generally perceived school principals' digital leadership competencies as high, whereas their levels of technostress remained moderate. Teachers' perceptions of digital leadership did not differ significantly in relation to gender, marital status, educational background, or years of service; however, significant differences were found based on age and school level. Regarding technostress levels, no significant differences were observed in relation to gender, marital status, education level, age, or school level, while a significant difference was found based on total years of service. Moreover, no statistically significant relationship was found between teachers' perceptions of digital leadership and their technostress levels. Qualitative findings indicated that teachers' evaluations of school principals' digital leadership were influenced by factors such as principals' competence in using digital tools, their level of technological knowledge, their ability to manage digital processes, and their capacity to integrate these processes into educational settings. It was emphasized that principals with strong digital leadership skills enhanced efficiency in the school environment and provided guidance to teachers on the use of digital tools. However, some teachers stated that their school principals were inadequate in terms of digital leadership and maintained a traditional approach to school management. From a technostress perspective, teachers reported experiencing stress due to challenges in adapting to technology, increased workload, and lack of technical equipment. Teachers' level of digital competence emerged as a significant determinant of technostress. External factors such as inadequate technological infrastructure, device malfunctions, and difficulties in adapting to new systems were also identified as contributors to technostress. It was observed that experienced teachers experienced higher levels of technostress compared to younger colleagues due to concerns about keeping up with digital transformation. When the quantitative and qualitative findings were compared, it was generally found that teachers perceived school principals' digital leadership competencies to be high, while their technostress levels remained moderate. However, the relationship between digital leadership and technostress appeared to be complex. While the high expectations of principals with strong digital leadership competencies could increase stress among teachers, inadequate digital leadership was also identified as a contributing factor to technostress. Nevertheless, supportive and solution-oriented digital leadership practices were found to help reduce teachers' stress levels. Based on the findings, the study offers several recommendations for practitioners and researchers to enhance digital leadership competencies in educational institutions. It emphasizes the need for organizing digital competence training programs for teachers, improving school principals' skills in technology use, and managing digital transformation processes in schools in a systematic manner to increase digital leadership and reduce technostress.