What motivates leaders to feel confident in their ability to lead is a relatively unexplored theme, particularly during their induction, which lasts for one to five years after their appointment. This study qualitatively examines the antecedents of leadership efficacy development among Malaysian novice school principals. The data were obtained using a phenomenological design. Twenty-one such principals participated in this study. The phenomenological interview model developed by Bevan was adapted for data collection. The findings revealed three main domains of antecedents that influence leadership efficacy, namely self-reference, internal support, and external support. Each domain comprises several antecedents derived from empirical data and analyses using sources of leadership efficacy, as discussed in previous studies. This study also puts forth recommendations for enhancing the leadership efficacy of novice school principals.
AbabnehRI (2016) Successful leadership components: A qualitative approach. Journal of WEI Business and Economics4(3): 23–38.
2.
AndersonDWKrajewskiHTGoffinRDJacksonND (2008) A leadership self-efficacy taxonomy and its relation to effective leadership. The Leadership Quarterly19: 595–608.
3.
ArietaGSAnchoIV (2020) Ready or not: The experiences of novice academic heads in school leadership. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research19(5): 78–98.
4.
BanduraA (1977) Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review84(2): 191–215.
5.
BanduraA (1997) Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: Freeman Publisher.
6.
BaroudiSHojeijZ (2020) The role of self-efficacy as an attribute of principals’ leadership effectiveness in K-12 private and public institutions in Lebanon. International Journal of Leadership in Education23(4): 457–471.
7.
Beam A, Claxton RL and Smith SJ (2016) Challenges for novice school leaders: Facing today's issues in school administration. Faculty Publications and Presentations 233. Available at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/educ_fac_pubs/233 (accessed 20 May 2019).
8.
BellemansLDevosG (2021) Exploring the sources of self-efficacy by Flemish school principals in primary education. Educational Management Administration & Leadership51(3): 1–18.
9.
BevanMT (2014) A method of phenomenological interviewing. Qualitative Health Research24(1): 136–144.
10.
BraunVClarkeV (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology3(2): 77–101.
11.
BrownKM (2006) “Racing to the top” to prepare turnaround principals in North Carolina: Homegrown regional leadership academies. Educational Leadership and Administration: Teaching and Program Development27: 101–144.
12.
BushT (2018) Preparation and induction for school principals: Global perspectives. Management in Education32(2): 66–71.
13.
BysikNEvstigneevaNIsaevaNKuksoKHarrisAJonesM (2015) A missing link? Contemporary insights into principal preparation and training in Russia. Asia Pacific Journal of Education35(3): 331–341.
14.
CansizMCansizN (2019) How do sources of self-efficacy predict preservice teachers’ beliefs related to constructivist and traditional approaches to teaching and learning?SAGE Open9(4): 1–8.
15.
CreswellJWMillerDL (2000) Questioning validity in qualitative inquiry. Theory into Practice39(3): 124–130.
16.
DwyerLP (2019) Leadership self-efficacy: Review and leader development implications. Journal of Management Development38(8): 637–650.
17.
FordJFordLPolinB (2021) Leadership in the implementation of change: Functions, sources, and requisite variety. Journal of Change Management21(1): 87–119.
18.
GallagherMW (2012) Self-efficacy. In: RamachandranVS (eds) Encyclopedia of Human Behavior. London: Elsevier Inc., 314–320.
19.
GedikSBellibasMS (2015) Examining schools’ distributed instructional leadership capacity: Comparison of elementary and secondary schools. Journal of Education and Training Studies3(6): 101–110.
20.
GimbelPKeforK (2018) Perceptions of a principal mentoring initiative. NASSP Bulletin102(1): 22–37.
21.
GurmuTG (2020) Primary school principals in Ethiopia: Selection and preparation. Educational Management Administration & Leadership48(4): 651–681.
22.
HayesSD (2019) Using developmental relationships in mentoring to support novice principals as leaders of learning. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning27(2): 190–212.
23.
HendricksJWPayneSC (2007) Beyond the big five: Leader goal orientation as a predictor of leadership effectiveness. Human Performance20(4): 317–343.
24.
HoffdingSMartinyKM (2015) Framing a phenomenological interview: What, why and how. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences15(4): 539–564.
25.
IannottaMMeretCMarchettiG (2020) Defining leadership in smart working contexts: A concept synthesis. Frontier Psychology11: 1–11.
26.
KilincACGumusS (2021) What do we know about novice school principals? A systematic review of existing international literature. Educational Management Administration & Leadership49(1): 54–75.
27.
KwanP (2009) The vice-principal experience as a preparation for the principalship. Journal of Educational Administration47(2): 191–205.
28.
LochmillerCR (2014) Leadership coaching in an induction program for novice principals: A 3-year study. Journal of Research on Leadership Education9(1): 59–84.
29.
Lokman MT, Narina AS, Mohd HH, Abdul HA, Mohd Fadzli A and Sanitah MY (2021) Initial challenges and possible useful countering strategies: Perspectives from Malaysian novice principals. Sage Open 11(2): 1–16.
30.
Lokman T, Mohd Nihra HMS, Khadijah D, Shafeeq HV and Aqeel K (2016) The benefits of headship mentoring: An analysis of Malaysian novice headteachers' perceptions. Educational Management Administration & Leadership 44(3): 1–31.
31.
MalmqvistJHellbergKMöllåsGRoseRShevlinM (2019) Conducting the pilot study: A neglected part of the research process? Methodological findings supporting the importance of piloting in qualitative research studies. International Journal of Qualitative Methods18: 1–11.
32.
McCormickMJ (2001) Self-efficacy and leadership effectiveness: Applying social cognitive theory to leadership. The Journal of Leadership Studies8(1): 22–33.
33.
Ministry of Education, Malaysia (2012) Malaysia Education Blueprint. Putrajaya: Ministry of Education, Malaysia.
34.
Ministry of Education Malaysia (2013) The appointment of school leaders in school in Malaysia. Official Circular Letter No. 1 2013.
35.
MurphySEJohnsonSK (2016) Leadership and leader developmental self-efficacy: Their role in enhancing leader development efforts. New Directions for Student Leadership2016: 73–84.
36.
NeubauerBEWitkopCTVarpioL (2019) How phenomenology can help us learn from the experiences of others. Perspectives on Medical Education8(2): 90–97.
37.
PanglisLL (2010) Leadership self-efficacy: Research findings and practical applications. Journal of Management Development29(9): 771–782.
38.
RamnunSLokmanMTMohammedBM (2015) Problems faced by novice principals in Malaysia: An exploration study. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences6(4): 562–569.
39.
SeanTHAvolioBJLuthansFHarmsPD (2008) Leadership efficacy: Review and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly19: 669–692.
40.
SpillaneJPLeeCL (2014) Novice school principals’ sense of ultimate responsibility: Problems of practice in transitioning to the principal’s office. Educational Administration Quarterly50(3): 431–465.
41.
Van der BijlJJShortridge-BaggettLM (2001) International collaborative research on management self-efficacy in diabetes mellitus. The Journal of the New York State Nurses Association27(3): 9–14.
42.
VillanuevaJJSanchezJC (2007) Trait emotional intelligence and leadership self-efficacy: Their relationship with collective efficacy. The Spanish Journal of Psychology10(2): 349–357.
43.
YiiCLLokmanMTMohdFARosleeASiti NisrinMARoslizamH, et al (2022) Administrative stressors and psychological and physiological symptoms among novice primary school principals. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE)11(4): 2017–2028.
