ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Higher Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1663289
Best Practices of High Performing Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines Towards the Development of Harmonized Quality-Assured Instructional Leadership Framework
Provisionally accepted
John Michael Del Rosario Aquino1*
MARIA GLENDA DE LARA2- 1Laguna State Polytechnic University, Santa Cruz, Philippines
- 2Philippine Normal University, Manila, Philippines
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Abstract Instructional leadership is vital for ensuring quality teaching and learning in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), particularly in Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) that aim to sustain accreditation standards and enhance students' performance. This study was conducted from July 2023 to April 2024 in the Luzon Region, Philippines, aimed to develop a harmonized instructional leadership framework based on the best practices of six high-performing HEIs—two State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), two Private Institutions, and two Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs). Institutions were purposively selected based on stringent criteria, including accreditation status (PAASCU, AACCUP, ALCUCOA), ISO certification, Centers of Development/Excellence, national and global rankings, and consistent Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) performance. Using a qualitative comparative multi-case study approach, data were gathered from 88 participants (administrators, faculty, and students) through validated semi-structured interviews, adding document analysis, and thematic analysis with intercoder validation. A panel of twelve (12) experts in leadership, management, curriculum, and instruction reviewed the framework. Findings led to a harmonized quality-assured instructional leadership framework with six phases (6) and twenty (20) interrelated components, promoting efficiency, adaptability, and continuous improvement. This structured, systematic and evidence-based guide supports instructional leaders in aligning institutional mechanisms with excellence standards, adaptable across diverse HEI contexts nationwide.
Keywords: instructional leadership, Quality Assurance, Higher education institutions, Quality education, teacher education institutions
Received: 10 Jul 2025; Accepted: 29 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Aquino and DE LARA. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: John Michael Del Rosario Aquino, johnmichael.aquino@lspu.edu.ph
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