TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND ITS ROLE IN ENHANCING EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS IN THE UNIVERSITIES OF SINDH, PROVINCE OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

The positive impact of transformational leadership on quality improvement on higher education is undeniable, though it remains largely unstudied in Sindh’s context. Other persistent problems in universities, such as traditional, outdated methods of teaching, overly slow integration of digital technologies, and assessment-oriented rote learning, continue to undermine quality improvement efforts. This study determines the impact of transformational leadership on teaching, technology usage, and exam reforms as the standard of education in Sindh’s public and private universities. The study is based on Bass’s four dimensions of transformational leadership. The study also employed the quantitative approach to survey 350 higher education academic leaders and faculty members. The study applied structural equation modeling (SEM) for quantitative data analysis. Results of the study indicate the presence of a strong direct positive impact value of (β = 0.42, p <0.001) on educational standards, while also improving it indirectly through advanced teaching (β = 0.31, p <0.01) and technology (β = 0.28, p <0.01) use, though the exam system positively improved educational standards (p > 0.05). The model accounts for and explains a variation of 62% in educational standards (R² = 0.62) with strong predictive relevance (Q² = 0.41). This confirms the critical value of leadership, teaching, and technology to improve academic standards, while also indicating the need for improvement in the assessment system. This study is among the first to empirically test transformational leadership using SEM in Pakistan’s higher education and provides practical recommendations for HEC, policymakers, and university leaders. This study extends Bass’s (1990) model of transformational leadership into the South Asian higher education context, offering practical insights for leadership development and policy reforms under the Higher Education Commission (HEC) framework.

Keywords: Transformational Leadership, Educational Standards, Higher Education, Universities of Pakistan, Academic Leadership