English abstract
The study aimed to identify the degree to which government school principals in the Sultanate of Oman practice chaos theory from their perspective, considering several variables, including gender, educational qualification, governorate, and the number of leadership training courses. To achieve the study's objectives, a descriptive correlational approach was used, and a questionnaire was developed, consisting of 58 items divided into two axes: the practice of chaos theory (26 items) and leadership capabilities (32 items). The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed, and it was administered to a sample of 300 male and female principals in government schools in the Muscat and South Al Batinah governorates in the Sultanate of Oman.
One of the most important findings of the study was that the degree to which government school principals in the Sultanate of Oman practice chaos theory, from their perspective, was very high. The results also showed no statistically significant differences at the significance level (α ≥ 0.05) among the average ratings of the study sample regarding the degree of chaos theory practice by government school principals in Oman, attributed to any of the study variables (gender, educational qualification, governorate, or training courses).
The study results also showed that the degree of leadership capabilities available among government school principals in the Sultanate of Oman, from their perspective, was very high. The findings indicated no statistically significant differences at the significance level (α ≥ 0.05) among the average ratings of the study sample regarding the availability of leadership capabilities among government school principals in Oman, attributed to the gender variable (male, female) in the dimensions of emotional capabilities, personal traits, and organizational abilities. However, differences were found in the creative thinking abilities dimension in favor of males. Additionally, no differences were attributed to the educational qualification variable in the dimensions of emotional capabilities, personal traits, and creative thinking abilities, but a difference was found in the organizational abilities dimension, favoring those with a master’s degree or higher. The results also showed no differences attributable to the governorate or training courses variables.
The study concluded that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between all dimensions of the chaos theory practice scale and the dimensions of the leadership capabilities scale. The strength of this correlation ranged from weak to moderate to strong, indicating that as the degree of chaos theory practice increases, the level of leadership capabilities also rises.
In light of the previous findings, several recommendations were made, including: continuing to enhance training by offering intensive training courses for principals by the administrative supervision department on aspects of chaos theory, such as nonlinear dynamics, attractors, organizational engineering, and the butterfly effect, to enable them to gain a deeper understanding and effectively apply these concepts in school management. Additionally, encouraging district managers in the education directorates across the governorates to foster innovation by promoting a culture of creativity and renewal in schools, and for school principals to continue adopting innovative organizational methods by applying organizational approaches inspired by chaos theory.
