The Status-quo of Educational Leadership Based on Soft Skills from the Perspective of Female and Male Educators and Trainers: The Case of the Guelmim-Oued Noun Region in Morocco

This study aims to examine the extent to which leaders of educational institutions in the Guelmim-Oued Noun region of Morocco, under the aegis of the Regional Academy for Education and Training, implement educational leadership based on soft skills, as perceived by women and men in education and training. This inquiry is contextualized within the framework of transformational leadership, as outlined in the tenth commitment of the 2022/2026 Roadmap. Utilizing a descriptive analytical approach, the research involved administering a questionnaire covering eight domains: communication, time management, teamwork, planning, leadership, emotional intelligence and analytical skills, decision-making, problem-solving, organizational skills, and personal mastery. The questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 308 educators, both women and men, in the Guelmim-Oued Noun region. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and a five-point Likert scale.
The findings indicate that the practice of educational leadership based on soft competencies is ‘very high’ in the areas of communication, leadership, and teamwork, while it registers as ‘high’ in other domains. The study also reveals statistically significant differences at the α ≤ 0.05 level concerning the educational staff variable (teaching, administration), favoring teaching staff in communication skills. However, no statistically significant differences were observed at the α ≤ 0.05 level in terms of gender. Additionally, the ANOVA test for educational qualification levels did not demonstrate any statistically significant differences.
The researcher recommends the adoption of quality standards based on soft skills in both the initial and continuous training of administrative staff. This also extends to the evaluation of the performance of heads of educational institutions and the criteria for task assignments.
 
Keywords:
 Educational Management, Soft Skills, School Leadership.