The Role and Challenges of School Leaders in Enhancing the Application of Digital Technology

The transformation of digital technology serves as an instructional aid and can expand and enrich curriculum content to face 21st-century education. In the context of this study, leaders play a primary role in driving educational digitalization. Digital leadership is an emerging leadership concept in the digital education era because changing factors demand that technology leaders be more proactive in integrating and cultivating ICT use. Therefore, this study aims to explore the role of school leaders in enhancing teachers' application of digital technology in schools. This study also explores the challenges faced by school leaders in enhancing teachers' application of digital technology in schools. This qualitative study design used a purposive sampling method, focusing on leaders with technological leadership characteristics. The study was conducted in Kota Tinggi District, Johor, Malaysia with four participants. The findings indicate that all participants play a role in the application of digital technology. However, school leaders also face challenges such as a lack of infrastructure and resources, teachers' digital literacy gaps, and financial issues in implementation.