Transformational Leadership and Educational Openness: A Cross-Border Comparative Study of Pakistan and Afghanistan Under Taliban Governance

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17701987

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between transformational leadership practices and educational openness in Pakistan and Afghanistan under Taliban governance. Using a multi-staged stratified random sampling technique, data were collected from 260 educational leaders (Pakistan n = 160; Afghanistan n = 100) across primary, secondary, and college institutions. A structured questionnaire measured four dimensions of transformational leadership i.e. idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration and six dimensions of openness, including intellect, adventurousness, emotion, artistic, values/liberalism, and imagination. The findings reveal significant cross-border differences. In Pakistan, transformational leadership demonstrated moderate to strong positive correlations with all aspects of openness, with regression analysis showing that openness explained 52% of the variance in leadership, particularly through openness to intellect. In Afghanistan, correlations were weak and only marginally significant, with openness explaining just 19% of the variance, primarily through imagination and values. Independent samples t-tests confirmed that mean scores for both transformational leadership and openness were significantly higher in Pakistan than in Afghanistan. These results highlight the contextual dependency of leadership effectiveness. In Pakistan, transformational leadership acts as a powerful driver of openness, fostering inclusivity, adaptability, and innovation in education. In Afghanistan, however, restrictive governance under the Taliban constrains both openness and leadership practices, limiting their interaction and impact. The study underscores the importance of governance structures in shaping educational leadership and suggests that fostering openness is essential for enabling transformational leadership to thrive.

Keywords: Transformational Leadership, Educational Openness, Taliban Governance, Cross-Border Comparison, Pakistan–Afghanistan Education Systems