Examining the Influence of Instructional Leadership on Teachers Professional Learning in Vocational Institutions in Delta State

This study examines the influence of instructional leadership on teachers professional learning in vocational education institutions in Delta State, South South Nigeria. Instructional leadership, in which institution heads actively engage in curriculum planning, instructional supervision, and professional development facilitation, is recognised as a key driver of teacher growth and student outcomes. In the context of vocational education, instructional leadership must extend to practical workshop settings, trade-specific knowledge, and industry alignment. A mixed-methods design is adopted, combining a survey of 180 teachers from 15 vocational institutions in Warri, Asaba, and Ughelli local government areas with in-depth interviews with 10 school heads. A validated instructional leadership scale and a professional learning engagement inventory are used. Structural equation modelling assesses the relationship between leadership dimensions and professional learning indicators. Qualitative data are analysed using thematic coding. Findings are expected to demonstrate that transformational instructional leadership practices significantly predict teacher engagement in professional learning, while transactional leadership shows a weaker association. The study also identifies mediating variables including organisational trust and resource access. Recommendations include instructional leadership capacity building for technical institution heads, distributed leadership models, and formalised professional learning community structures. This study contributes to educational leadership research in South South Nigerian technical education and provides a theoretically grounded model of instructional leadership tailored to the vocational school context. Keywords: instructional leadership, professional learning, vocational institutions, Delta State, teachers