Abstract
Teacher leadership is pivotal for the development of educational institutions. However, teachers’ perceptions about teacher leadership have been under explored. In this study, the researchers review sixteen studies conducted in the USA, South Africa and other European, Asian, and Middle Eastern countries. Four themes emerged after analysis of the texts: perceptions of teachers about teacher leadership practices, factors influencing teacher leadership, teacher leadership development, and barriers to teacher leadership. Results show that teacher leaders are engaged in mentoring teachers, coordinating with administration, curriculum development and implementation, and subject matter development. The physical environment of the school, teachers’ age, experience, qualification, and support from the administration also influences teachers’ perceptions about teacher leadership. Teacher leadership development is influenced by teachers’ own beliefs, principals’ support and teachers’ professional development. Some barriers to teacher leadership are also discussed in this paper.
Highlights
The world is going through social, cultural, and technological changes that have influenced every walk of life
As their views about leadership changed with professional development, they began to perceive themselves as leaders and, they adopted leadership roles outside the classroom as well
The findings revealed that unclear definition of hybrid teacher leaders (HTLs) roles, transience of leadership, and too many initiatives for HTLs to handle were the key barriers to teacher leadership
Summary
The world is going through social, cultural, and technological changes that have influenced every walk of life. These changes have posed some challenges to school education, such as inclusiveness, identity, and integration of ICT for beneficial purposes. These challenges can only be overcome through effective leadership in academic institutions. Since school level leadership usually gets linked with school heads, authority, and control, teachers focus exclusively on teaching in school management (Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009). In the modern-day world, leadership in academic institutions is not restricted to school heads who control or supervise institutions from their offices. Teachers have emerged as a vital force in dealing with novel and challenging situations to improve and sustain quality education in schools. Teacher leadership is an area of great significance for researchers
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