Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-2, Issue-3 , 2016 ISSN : 2454-1362 , http://www.onlinejournal.in The Ideology Of Instructional Leadership Among Principals On Student Academic Achievement Murni Mohamad Yasin 1 , Mohd Helmi Ali Bashah 2 , Hasny Yanti Zainal 3 , Zaidatol Akmaliah Bt Lope Pihie 4 , Foo Say Fooi 5 & Ramli Bin Basri 6 1,2,3,4,5&6 Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Abstract : Malaysian education system has come under public scrutiny and debate, their concern regarding not only the system but also the teachers and administrators to adequately prepared young Malaysian for the 21 st century. The purpose of the study is to explore the knowledge base or the ideology about effective instructional leadership among the principals and with this ideology how they practice their instructional leadership on student achievement. The study also want to investigate is there any changes on principals instructional leadership practices due to the astonishing impact of ICT and globalization. This study is hoped to be able to assist the principals in reevaluating the strengths and weaknesses of their instructional leadership practices so that not only can increase student achievement in Malaysian Education System but also increase in global standard. The methodology is a qualitative study in which interviews were conducted with 3 purposive principals in Seremban district. Result indicated that purposive principals were understood instructional leadership as synonymous with clear vision and goal, be a role model, classroom supervision, supporting and listening but they not elaborated about school climate. However their goal and vision is not toward globalization but still answerable to the system of exam-oriented and lacking of culture on learning and professional behavior which been too long in Malaysian society. Keywords: Instructional leadership, Principal, Academic achievement 1.0 Introduction Education plays a central role in any country’s pursuit of economic growth and national development. There is no better predictor of a nation’s future than what is currently happening in its classrooms. In today’s global economy, a nation’s success depends fundamentally on knowledge, skills and competencies of its people. In recent years, the Malaysian education system has come under increased public scrutiny and debate, as parents’ expectations rise and employers voice their concern regarding the system’s ability to adequately prepare young Malaysians for the challenges of the 21 st century (Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025). The Ministry of Education launched Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 which offers a vision of the education system and students that Malaysia both needs and deserves. A fundamental objective of any education system is to ensure that its students are being equipped with the knowledge and skills required for success in life. The leadership of a school shapes the school’s character (Sergiovanni, 2000), orchestrates people’s efforts within it, sets a common direction, and establishes the expectations for student achievement as well as the means and the motivation to achieve them (Murphy 1994). Along with the quality of teaching and teachers, the quality of leadership is the key human factor that shapes the future of all students and the fortunes of everyone in schools (Starratt, 1993). One of the most significant influences on school improvement is the quality of school leadership (Leithwood et al. 1993). And one consistent factor in most of the effective schools research is an emphasis on strong, instructional leadership (Edmonds, 1979ab, 1982; Purkey & Smith, 1983; Weber, 1971; Brookover & Lezotte, 1979) in Jana Michelle Alig-Mielcarek. Most of the transformational changes to the role of the principal have been focused toward the technical core responsibility of the school. Hoy and Miskel (2008) stated this technical core is the process of educational leaders focusing on the teaching and learning of the school. This focus on teaching and learning has led to the development of a popular leadership construct called instructional leadership. The paramount focus of instructional leadership is