School leaders are key factors in implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools. They need to understand the capacities of the new technologies, to have a personal proficiency in their use, and be able to promote a school culture which encourages exploration of new techniques in teaching, learning and management. However, there is less information about the current status of ICT use by Malaysian school principals. This paper investigated the extent to which secondary school principals use computers in Malaysia and determined factors related to level of computer use by principals (cultural perceptions and leadership style of principals). Initial report also highlighted analysis of a baseline data gathered from 520 secondary school principals in the state of Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia. Findings indicate that school principals are using computers for instructional and administrative purposes and they have moderate competency in computer applications and spent a few times a week working on their computers. Also, cultural perceptions and transformational leadership contributed significantly to the level of computer use by principals. It is anticipated that the data obtained from the study will open new lines of inquiry about the crucial roles of school leaders in the adoption of ICTs and will contribute to decisions about future developmental needs because more will be known about their preparedness for change. Hence, policy makers must design professional development programs, such as leadership studies, in order to teach the components of transformational leadership; idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration to future administrators

During the COVID-19 pandemic, universities in Malaysia implemented online learning. This long-time remote learning is very challenging to some university students. The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of psychological well-being on depression, anxiety, and stress of university students on online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The quantitative data were collected from 325 students from a university in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The survey was conducted online through Google Forms. Two instruments used were Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the psychological well-being scale (PWBS-8). The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential methods. The study found that 34.9% of the students were depressed, 60.9% anxious, and 32% stressed. The study found that 23% of the variability in psychological well-being (PWB) affected university students’ depression, anxiety, and stress. This finding demonstrates the magnitude of burden that university students now bear during online learning. Therefore, higher education institutions can play a fundamental role in assisting students to cope with their depression, anxiety, and stress. Authorities should also prioritize determining appropriate student facilities and resources. Structured programmes for distress reduction and blended learning are suggested for use in teaching and learning.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the different levels of transformational leadership between male and female principals and their relationships with teachers' Innovative Work Behavior (IWB) in Malaysian secondary schools. In total, 477 teachers from various secondary schools were randomly selected as respondents (218 are working under female principals, while 259 of them are under male principals). This study revealed that the respondents agree that male principals practice transformational leadership higher than female principals. However, the female principals were highly influential on the teachers’ IWB compared to their male counterparts. This study provides a glimpse of the teachers' innovative behavior improvement resulted from transformational leadership by male and female school principals.

Gender has been identified as one of the key factors that influences the degree of transformational leadership practiced by the leaders and has an effect on job outcome. This study investigates the characteristics and level of female principals’ transformational leadership and interrelationship between the leadership with Perceived Organizational Politics (POPs) and teachers’ commitment in Malaysian secondary schools. Further, the mediating effect of POPs on the relationship between transformational leadership and teachers’ organizational commitment are also investigated. In total, 208 teachers from secondary schools in Penang led by female principals were selected as respondents. The results found that the level of transformational leadership practiced by female principals was moderately high. The female principals tended to inspire and motivate teachers but displayed their idealized influence characteristics in leadership less. The results also revealed that the level of POPs and organizational commitment of teachers led by female principals were moderate. In addition, the hierarchical linear regression results indicated that POPs partially mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and teachers’ organizational commitment. This study indicates that teachers’ organizational commitment can be improved by transformational leadership that is practiced by their leaders as well as the POPs at their schools.