Student voices from an under-researched context: the relative impact of teacher quality and instructional leadership on school environment in Somaliland

Abstract

This study examines how teacher quality and instructional leadership shape the school environment in Somaliland through student voice. Guided by Educational Effectiveness perspectives and Transformational/Instruction-oriented leadership traditions, we model the school environment as a proximal outcome of teaching, with leadership effects expected through visible, instruction-facing routines. A survey of students from seven public secondary schools (N = 373) was analysed using multiple linear regression. Predictors included Perceived Teacher Quality & Practice (PTQP) and four leadership routines (prioritising instructional time, principal curriculum awareness, clarity of vision, principal presence). The outcome was Perceived School Environment & Resources (PSER). The model explained 45% of variance in PSER (R² = .45, p < .001). PTQP was the dominant predictor (β = .55, p < .001). Two leadership routines—principal curriculum awareness (β = .13, p = .003) and principal presence (β = .09, p = .022)—were significant; others were not. Findings confirm teaching's proximal dominance for students' experience and show that in centralized, resource-constrained settings, leadership "travels" through concrete, curriculum-focused behaviours students can see. Policy should prioritise classroom-embedded professional learning and routinise visible instructional leadership. The study demonstrates the value of student-reported indicators for evaluating school conditions in fragile contexts.