26. Educational Leadership
Poster
International Study of Teacher Leadership: Culmination of Cross-Cultural Findings
Cornelius Van der Vyver1, Joan Conway2, Molly Patricia Fuller1, Clelia Pineda-Báez3
1North-West University, South Africa; 2University of Southern Queensland, Australia; 3Universidad de La Sabana, Colombia
Presenting Author: Van der Vyver, Cornelius;
Conway, Joan
The term "teacher leadership" has been used frequently in educational settings in international contexts. Teacher leadership suggests a common dedication to interdisciplinary professional collaboration and to fulfilling the needs of learners. It seems however that the concept is generally more used and researched in Western and developed countries. Even though teacher leadership is seemingly well understood, as indicated in policy documents and development activities, there does not seem to be a common understanding regarding what teacher leadership is, how it is used or if it can be used to enhance teaching and learning (Webber et al., 2023). Despite extensive reviews that have indicated some of the attributes of teacher leadership (Wenner & Campbell, 2017; York-Barr & Duke, 2004), there is still no clear-cut definition of exactly what teacher leadership entail across about the diversity in different cultural contexts. The specific cultural context in a country will have an influence on the manifestation and conceptualisation of teacher leadership. In this regard Hallinger (2018, p. 11) refers to the influence of different contexts, including the “natural culture context, economic context and political context”, which goes much wider than the local context of the school.
Research done on and about teacher leadership emphasised the lack of clarity in how teacher leadership is defined. There also seems to be a lack of research on teacher leadership in non-Western and developing countries. In this regard Fierro-Evans and Fortoul-Olivier (2021) indicated an absence of discourses on teacher leadership in Latin America, including Mexico and Colombia and Grant (2019) acknowledged the scarcity of research about teacher leadership in Africa’s emerging democracies. Previous studies and literature reviews provided a strong base for the establishment of an international research project, the International Study of Teacher Leadership (ISTL). The International Study of Teacher Leadership (www.mru.ca/istl) was a response to the calls for additional cross-cultural studies of how teacher leadership is understood and manifested (Webber et al. 2023).
Researchers representing 12 universities in 12 countries with diverse cultural contexts formed a research team to do research on the conceptualisation, understanding, manifestation and enactment of teacher leadership in these diverse cultural contexts. The members of ISTL come from diverse cultural backgrounds and included representation of Western as well as non-Western countries including developed and developing countries. The purpose of the study was to contribute to the wider understanding of teacher leadership and of how professional development and university programs might contribute to teacher leadership knowledge and skill development. The study was directed by the main question: How is teacher leadership conceptualised and enacted and what are the implications for educational stakeholders?
There are four central concepts that add to a better understanding of teacher leadership, namely “formal and informal dimensions, influence of teacher leadership on school culture, teacher leadership as professional development, and teacher leadership as part of school improvement” (Webber, 2018, p. 4). Teacher leadership includes both formal and informal dimensions of the practice of this leadership theory in schools. There are numerous ways that teacher leaders influence without appointments to formal leadership roles. The right conditions need to exist within the school for teacher leadership to thrive, implicating a specific school culture. Positive school cultures in which instructional improvement is possible are environments where change can take place. It is important that teachers with leadership potential have opportunities to learn how to influence in positive and productive ways. There are a wide range of teacher leader development strategies that can help formal and informal leaders assume responsibility and accountability for student learning. Teacher leadership can and should contribute to improved teaching and learning practices and lead to sustained school improvement.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe overarching research approach was a mixed method approach with a more specific convergent design (Creswell & Plano-Clarke, 2011). The design moved from an initial broad literature review through different phases. An initial literature review (Webber, 2018) captured published understandings of teacher leadership and provided the team with a framework for analysis comprised of eleven attributes and five considerations. Discussions of the literature review led the research team to formulate the purpose of the study. Members of the research team formulated the primary research question: How is teacher leadership conceptualised and enacted and what are the implications for educational stakeholders? The design of the study was collaboratively formed by the team with a focus on the primary research question.
Firstly, an overarching phenomenographic study was done. Phenomenography focused on capturing the differences and variations in how people experience a particular phenomenon. This phase was used to explore the ways that the research team members related to the phenomenon of interest, teacher leadership. The findings were synthesized into a phenomenographic outcome space to reveal the range of qualitatively different ways that teacher leadership was experienced by participants from different geographical contexts and cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The intent of the phenomenographic component was to contribute to fuller, richer, more culturally inclusive, and more sophisticated understandings of teacher leadership (Arden & Okoko, 2021).
The next phase of the study included document analyses in each researcher’s cultural setting, with a focus on publicly available materials such as government policies, standards documents, teacher education program descriptions, and union statements. Then a range of educational stakeholders including teachers, principals and school community members participated in semi-structured interviews and completed questionnaires related to teacher leadership.
Case studies, the fourth phase of the study, were delayed due to the global pandemic that began in 2020. However, some research team members completed virtual case studies that included teaming with specific schools to interview school community members and to participate in online planning meetings that were conducted by teachers and administrators. In-person case studies resumed in the latter half of 2021.
The fifth phase of the International Study of Teacher Leadership consisted of oral histories conducted with samples of current and past classroom teachers who were selected because of the significance and magnitude of their influence in their communities. However, very few of the members of the ISTL have already completed this part of the research.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe ISTL revealed the importance of teacher leadership and the influence of teacher leaders in the complex teaching and learning environments where they work. Teacher leaders share common attributes, but their leadership is enacted differently within the cultural and organizational contexts of their schools and communities. Teacher leaders across different cultures exhibit high levels of commitment and altruism, a willingness to include colleagues and parents in decision making accepting that unique approaches are required to what and how students learn. They attract the trust of colleagues and school leaders.
Teacher leaders are likely to cultivate the creative and entrepreneurial dimensions of their profession and embrace change using opportunities of collaboration with principals and colleagues. They celebrate diversity and exercise professional judgement as innovators, rather than resisters. The study revealed a strong self-awareness that facilitated meaningful reflection about their work leading to creative thinking and thoughtful problem solving. Although some teachers mentioned being the target of criticism from their peers when they were recognized as teacher leaders, the tall poppy syndrome did not feature significantly.
It was evident that continuous professional learning is part of being a teacher leader. The learning was primarily self-directed and appeared often as informal learning with peers in the context of improving teaching and learning. Teacher leaders were described as adroit at garnering mentorship from colleagues and, concurrently, serving as mentors to peers at all career stages. Most important, teacher leaders were characterised by the ability to see opportunities for professional learning and to participate in schoolwide instructional improvement. They had the ability to plan effectively their teaching and professional learning, and then to act on their plans.
The outcomes of this study culminated in several publications in academic journals, as well as a recently published Springer book (Teacher leadership in international contexts – In press).
ReferencesArden, C., & Okoko, J. M. (2021). Exploring cross-cultural perspectives of teacher leadership among the members of an international research team: A phenomenographic study. Research in Educational Administration and Leadership, 6 (1), 51-90.
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (2nd ed.). Sage Publications Ltd.
Fierro-Evans, C. & Fortoul-Ollivier, B. (2021). Reflexivity: An essential feature of teacher leadership in Mexico, Colombia and Spain. Research in Educational Administration & Leadership, 6(1), 164-198. DOI: 10.30828/real/2021.1.6
Grant, C. (2019). Excavating the South African teacher leadership archive: Surfacing the absences and re-imagining the future. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 47(1), 37–55. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1741143217717274
Hallinger, P. (2018). Bringing context out of the shadows of leadership. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 46(1), 5-24. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143216670652
Pineda-Báez, C. (2021). Conceptualizations of teacher-leadership in Colombia: Evidence from policies. Research in Educational Administration & Leadership, 6(1), 92-125. DOI: 10.30828/real/2021.1.4.
Pineda-Báez, C., Fierro-Evans, C., & Gratacós G. (2023). The role of teamwork in the development of teacher leadership: A cross-cultural analysis from Colombia, Mexico, and Spain. In Webber, C. F. (in print). Teacher Leadership in International Contexts. Springer.
Van der Vyver, C.P, Fuller, M.P., Khumalo, J.B. (2023). Teacher Leadership in South Africa: The Power of Influence in Restoring Social Justice. In Webber, C. F. (in print). Teacher Leadership in International Contexts. Springer.
Webber, C. F. (2018, May). A rationale and proposed design for researching teacher leadership. Paper presented to the International Research Conference hosted by the Faculty of Education at Guangxi Normal University in Guilin, China.
Webber, C. F. (2021). The need for cross-cultural exploration of teacher leadership. Research in Educational Administration and Leadership, 6(1), 17-49. doi.org/10.30828/real/2021.1.2
Webber, C. F. (in print). Teacher Leadership in International Contexts. Springer.
Webber, C.F., Conway, J.M., & Van der Vyver, C.P. (2023). International Study of Teacher Leadership: A Rationale and Theoretical Framework. In Webber, C. F. (in print). Teacher Leadership in International Contexts. Springer.
Webber, C. F., Pineda-Báez, C., Gratacós, G., & Wachira, N. (2023). The language of teacher leadership. In Webber, C. F. (in print). Teacher Leadership in International Contexts. Springer.
Wenner, J. A., & Campbell, T. (2017). The theoretical and empirical basis of teacher leadership. Review of Educational Research, 87(1), 134-171. https://doi.org/10.3102%2F0034654316653478
York-Barr, J., & Duke, K. (2004). What do we know about teacher leadership? Findings from two decades of scholarship. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 255-316.
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