Principal Support and Teacher Professional Development During Curriculum Reform in Vietnam: Survey Dataset

1. Overview of the Dataset This dataset comprises survey responses collected from teachers working in Vietnamese public schools during the implementation of the 2018 General Education Curriculum reform. The dataset was designed to examine how principal support is associated with multiple dimensions of teacher professional development within a centralized education system. The dataset contains 693 observations, each representing an individual teacher, and captures perceptions related to leadership practices and professional learning environments. 2. Research Purpose The primary purpose of the dataset is to investigate the relationship between principal support and four key dimensions of teacher professional development: Contextualized Learning Professional Learning Communities Teacher Participation Democratic and Equitable Leadership The dataset enables empirical testing of a structural model examining how leadership conditions are associated with teacher learning engagement and professional growth during curriculum reform. 3. Data Structure and Units of Analysis The dataset has a hierarchical structure: Level 1 (Teacher level):Individual responses capturing perceptions of leadership and professional learning conditions Level 2 (School level):Teachers are nested within schools, identified by a clustering variable (schoolid) The dataset includes responses from 94 schools, allowing examination of within-school and between-school variation. 4. Measurement Design The survey instrument consists of 20 observed variables, grouped into five latent constructs, each measured by four items: Principal Support (SP) Contextualized Learning (CL) Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Teacher Participation (TP) Democratic and Equitable Leadership (DE) All variables are measured using a five-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The measurement design follows a reflective indicator model, supporting confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. 5. Instrument Development The questionnaire was adapted from internationally validated instruments on educational leadership and teacher professional learning. Several procedures were undertaken to ensure contextual appropriateness: Translation and back-translation to maintain semantic equivalence Expert review by Vietnamese scholars in educational leadership Pilot testing with a sample of teachers to confirm clarity and response variability These steps ensured that the instrument is conceptually aligned with the Vietnamese centralized education context. 6. Data Quality and Characteristics Descriptive analysis indicates: Moderate negative skewness across constructs Sufficient variance for statistical modelling No evidence of severe ceiling effects Internal consistency reliability is high across all constructs, and measurement validity has been confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis and multiple validity checks. 7. Analytical Applications The dataset is suitable for a range of quantitative analyses, including: Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) Cluster-adjusted regression analysis Multilevel modelling (optional, given low intraclass correlations) The dataset is particularly appropriate for examining relationships between leadership and professional learning in centralized education systems. 8. Contextual Relevance The dataset reflects the institutional conditions of Vietnam’s centralized education system, in which curriculum reform is implemented through hierarchical governance structures. Teacher professional development in this context is closely influenced by school leadership, organizational culture, and policy-driven expectations. The dataset provides context-specific empirical evidence that can contribute to comparative research on curriculum reform and educational leadership in similar systems.