Teacher Leadership Research Articles

STEM Cooperating Teachers’ Professional Growth: The Positive Impacts of a Year-Long Clinical Residency Collaboration

Teacher residency programs integrate coursework with clinical practice in a year-long residency in which pre-service teachers work under the guidance of a cooperating teacher who has demonstrated excellence in teaching and mentoring. The purpose of this study was to examine the reasons for serving as a cooperating teacher and investigate how clinical residency pre-service teachers promote growth in the professional practice of cooperating teachers as teachers and teacher leaders. In this longitudinal qualitative study, we gathered data through semi-structured interviews and responses to survey questions over a five-year period. Ten STEM cooperating teachers (six female and four male) with 7 to 18 years of full-time teaching experience in biology, chemistry, or mathematics participated. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview transcripts and survey responses. The primary motivation for serving as a cooperating teacher was the desire to share experiences and support new teachers. Cooperating teachers described the following benefits: increased self-reflection and continuing reflective practice; meaningful collaboration with pre-service teachers; learned new teaching strategies to enrich their own teaching practice; improved communication skills; and the impetus to become teacher leaders. These findings support that clinical residency teaching programs are beneficial for STEM cooperating teachers and promote their professional growth.

Evaluation of the McGill-Tongji Blended Education Program for Teacher Leaders in General Practice: The importance of partnership and contextualization in International Primary Care Training Initiatives.

Strong primary health care (PHC) systems require well-established PHC education systems to enhance the skills of general practitioners (GPs). However, the literature on the experiences of international collaboration in primary care education in low- and middle-income countries remains limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation and perceived impact of the McGill-Tongji Blended Education Program for Teacher Leaders in General Practice (referred to as the "Tongji Program"). In 2020-2021, the McGill Department of Family Medicine (Montreal, Canada) and Tongji University School of Medicine (TUSM,Shanghai, China) jointly implemented the Tongji Program in Shanghai, China to improve the teaching capacity of PHC teachers. We conducted an exploratory longitudinal case study with a mixed methods design for the evaluation. Quantitative (QUAN) data was collected through questionnaire surveys and qualitative (QUAL) data was collected through focus group discussions. The evaluation showed that learners in Tongji Program were primarily female GPs (21/22，95%) with less than 4 years of experience in teaching (16/22，73%). This program was considered a successful learning experience by most participants (19/22, 86%) with higher order learning tasks such as critical thinking and problem-solving. They also agreed that this program helped them feel more prepared to teach (21/22，95%), and developed a positive attitude toward primary care (21/22，95%). The QUAL interview revealed that both the Tongji and McGill organizers noted that TUSM showed strong leadership in organization, education, and coordination. Both students and teachers agreed that by adapting training content into contextualized delivery formats and settings, the Tongji Program successfully overcame language and technology barriers. Committed partnerships and contextualization were key to the success of the Tongji Program. Future research should focus on how international primary care education programs affect learners' behavior in their practice settings, and explore barriers and facilitators to change.

A case study of emergent leadership in whole-class discussion of controversial issues

Teachers are increasingly called on to employ dialogic practices to promote active and equitable student participation in academically challenging classroom discourse. However, vocal students who dominate whole-class discussions might threaten or even overthrow the ideal of equitable participation. Situated in a fourth-grade Chinese elementary classroom participating in an intervention seeking to implement dialogic teaching of controversial issues in Morality and Law, the current study examined the discursive patterns of an emergent student leader to reveal her attempts and struggles to actively take part in discussions, the teacher’s management of her dominant participation, and the scaffolding she provided for her less capable peers. We suggest that future professional development on dialogic teaching should better prepare teachers to effectively manage discrepancy in students’ oral participation, focusing on both vocal and silent students. We also call for more research to investigate the possibilities and strategies for students and teachers to share or co-manage leadership in dialogic teaching.

Transformational Leadership, Work Ethic and Quality of Work Life Increase Teachers' Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Transformational Leadership, Work Ethic and Quality of Work Life Increase Teachers' Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Teacher Leadership: A Review of Literature on the Conceptualization and Outcomes of Teacher Leadership

Teacher leadership is a critical aspect of school change while there is lack of a consistent definition for it. This examines teacher leadership conceptualization and its associated outcomes. The review of 33 articles published 2018–2023 focused on teacher leadership in K-12 setting, found that many authors relied on established definitions, with few offering their own interpretations. These articles depict teacher leadership as an informal and individual form of leadership. The analysis revealed outcomes of teacher leadership at school development level; teacher-level benefits including professional growth; and student-level impacts such as increased achievement and motivation.

Characteristics of Effective International School Teachers: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Qualities of effective teachers matter because teachers are the number one school-related factor that impacts on student achievement. Although researchers in the United States have studied frameworks for evaluating teacher effectiveness, these frameworks are not focused on teachers working in international schools. Thus, they may not reflect the importance of understanding both the context of working in intercultural settings and the skills that allow teachers to flourish in international schools. Using a systematic configurative synthesis review of 23 studies, this study identifies qualities of effective teachers working in international schools through a synthesis of the study findings. We identified four key attributes that are emphasized, if not unique, in international school effective teacher research: a focus on teacher collaboration and teacher leadership; cultural awareness and responsiveness from multi-national perspectives; and host country language acquisition. Overall, we find that a focus on what makes an effective international school teacher is lacking in the extant research, particularly given the predicted enormous growth of international schools.

Dimensions of clinical leadership among pre-registration nursing students: a cross-sectional study between two countries

To explore a) pre-registration students' self-perceptions of clinical leadership behaviours and b) differences in students' self-perceptions of leadership behaviours between two countries (UK and Israel). Effective leadership has been associated with high-quality and compassionate care provision in health and social care contexts. This has led to a common acceptance that teaching leadership in nursing education is essential if students are to develop competencies in this area. Worldwide, there is limited research on nursing students' perception of clinical leadership behaviours as well as on the development of leadership behaviours during the study years. A cross-sectional survey design was used among two convenience samples of UK and Israeli pre-registration nursing students. Closed questionnaires were uploaded in the format of a commercial internet survey provider (Qualtrics.com) and distributed through the virtual learning platforms in the two participating universities. In total 656 students were invited to participate and the response rates were 28.1 % (Israel) and 17.9 % (England). Overall, 140 students completed the questionnaires. Significant differences were found between the two sites in the leadership dimensions "Emotional Intelligence" and "Impact and Influence" (p < .05), with UK students scoring higher than Israeli students. Among the Israeli sample, significant differences were found in leadership dimensions according to years of study, with higher scores reported in the 3rd and 4th year students compared with the 1st and 2nd Year students in the referred dimensions (p < .05). Differences in students' clinical leadership perception exist between the two cohorts examined. Nurse educators should expand international research on this subject to identify possible antecedents in developing clinical leadership behaviours. At the same time, there is a need to continue efforts to enhance the development of clinical leadership behaviours during all study years through curriculum updating to prepare future nurses better to provide quality, safe and person-centered care.

The role of administrative support in the relationship between teachers perceptions of organizational support and teacher leadership levels

The role of administrative support in the relationship between teachers perceptions of organizational support and teacher leadership levels

The Role of Teacher Mover as Teacher Leadership at The State Elementary School of Ulujami District, Pemalang Regency

There is a new paradigm and a curriculum that is constantly changing with technological developments, the role of teachers is required to follow these developments. One of the government's efforts in realizing educators who have competence to achieve national education goals is the Program Pendidikan Guru Penggerak (PPGP). Through PPGP, many teacher mover (guru penggerak) throughout Indonesia are graduated who are ready to enter schools and are expected to have a significant impact on schools and the education ecosystem. This study aims to identify the role of teacher mover as teacher leadership in improving the quality of schools at the state elementary school Ulujami District, Pemalang Regency. This study uses qualitative research with a descriptive approach. Data collected from a combination of literature studies, observations, and interviews were systematically analyzed to identify the role of teacher leaders as Teacher Leadership in improving school quality. The results of the study show that the role of teacher mover has an important contribution to teacher leadership in State Elementary Schools in Ulujami District, Pemalang Regency. The role of teacher mover includes being a learning leader, being a coach for others, encouraging collaboration, realizing student leadership, and mobilizing the community of practitioners. The advice given by the author to the teacher mover is to always actively carry out self- development, increase cooperation with various parties, collaborate with school residents and the community of teacher mover, and maintain self- motivation to become teacher leadership.

How do China’s national-level teacher leaders perceive and improve their instructional leadership? A case study

ABSTRACT Drawing on interviews and textual data generated with six China’s national-level teacher leaders, this study explores the structure and development of instructional leadership in the Chinese context. Two findings emerged from the data analysis. First, the teacher leaders viewed their instructional leadership as a three-level construct, including staying committed to and excellence in teaching, establishing professional learning communities for collaborative improvement in teaching, and engaging with regional and national reform and improvement in teaching. Second, the teacher leaders improved their instructional leadership mainly by conducting research-informed teaching, interacting with crucial stakeholders, and capitalising on professional resources and opportunities. These findings add to the literature a context-specific, levelled conceptualisation of instructional leadership and suggest practical implications for cultivating instructional leadership in the Chinese context and beyond.

Development of Instructional Leadership Indicators of Teachers in Educational Opportunity Expansion Schools under the Primary Educational Service Area Offices in the Northeast

The purposes of this study were to: 1) identify instructional leadership of teachers, 2) develop the Instructional leadership indicators of teachers, 3) investigate the goodness-of-fit between the structural model of instructional leadership indicators of teachers and empirical data, and 4) produce a user manual of the instructional leadership indicators of teachers in educational opportunity expansion schools under the Primary Educational Service Area Offices in the northeast. The study was divided into four phases. The findings were as follows 1. The components of instructional leadership of teachers in educational opportunity expansion schools consisted of seven components, namely 1) self and other teacher development, 2) curriculum development ability, 3) learning management ability, 4) learning assessment and evaluation ability, 5) transformational leadership, 6) learning exchange ability and 7) moral and ethics. 2. The indicators of instructional leadership of teachers in educational opportunity expansion schools comprised seven principal components, 25 sub-components and 98 indicators. All principal components achieved the mean scores at high level of appropriateness 3. The indicator structural model of instructional leadership of teachers in educational opportunity expansion schools was congruent with empirical data. (Chi-Square=202.84, df=176, p=0.08095, GFI=0.97, AGFI =0.95, RMSEA=0.016, CN=668.53) and 4. The user manual of the instructional leadership of teacher indicators in educational opportunity expansion schools under the Primary Educational Service Area Offices in four aspects obtained the Index of item-objective congruence (IOC) at 1.00 indicated that the user manual was appropriated to be implemented.

The impact of Teachers Professional Development on Learners Academic Performance in Selected Primary Schools in Kumi District

The study was aimed at on examining the effects of teacher professional development on learners’ academic performance in Kumi district. Teacher professional development is one of the concerns among different stakeholders who have interest in education in most of the developed and developing nations. With a lot of pressure among the educators to improve the academic performance among the learners, teachers’ continuous professional development has become a necessity for the schools that are committed to improving the academic performance of their learners. Teachers' professional development refers to a continuous process of acquiring new knowledge, skills, and competencies to improve their teaching practices and enhance student learning outcomes. This development can take various forms and often involves both formal and informal learning opportunities. The study was guided by three objective (i) To examine the relationship between workshops and learners’ academic achievements ii to establish the relationship between teacher leadership and learners’ academic achievements iii To assess the relationship between motivation and learners academic achievements. The key aspects of professional development include online courses motivation, teacher leadership, workshops and seminars, mentoring, collaborative learning, in-service training, graduate education, peer observation and conferences. The purpose of this research paper was to find out how teachers professional development affects the academic performance of learners in primary schools in Kumi. This research was conducted in selected primary schools in Kumi district.

Innovative Teacher Leadership in Curriculum Construction

The Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven smart learning management system (SLMS) innovates the knowledge production and dissemination, and reshapes the teacher roles and the school ecosystem. This study advances prior research by examining the impact of teacher digital leadership (TDL) based on SLMS on the campus organizational culture (COC), and how this relationship is mediated by two key abilities. Result shows that TDL has a profound impact on how much they influence the curriculum design and integration from knowledge-based perspective. It also indicates that their manner of curriculum construct in the SLMS has a significant effect on COC. The teachers awarded by the Teaching Ability Competition are particularly effective in operating a curriculum in AI-powered SLMS, and show effective informal leadership. The conclusion presents feasible measures for TDL in blended curriculum construct for innovative AI-teacher collaboration from micro perspective under reforms in recent China.

Empowering Educational Leaders: Nurturing Strong Teaching and Learning Environments in Kenyan Schools.

Purpose: Kenya’s paradigm shifts in curriculum from content based to competence-based curriculum is geared towards improving the quality of education to meet the global demands. This prompts the need to build a firm foundation from early childhood education through appropriate classroom learning experiences and good leadership. This study explored educational leaders' practices in their management of primary schools in Kenya. Methodology: This article draws evidence from the Longitudinal Study which was designed among other things to establish the best practices that teacher educators can adopt to inform the professional learning of Student Teachers to become effective champion teachers, and leaders. The study adopted a mixed method approach with a sample size of 29, comprising 4 education officers, 25 head teachers in Mombasa and Kilifi counties in Kenya. Findings: The findings revealed that most education leaders have embraced transformative leadership styles and policies to motivate their subordinates through action research, portfolio, mentorship, coaching, collaboration, and networking. Findings revealed further that mentorship is key in educational leadership and thus should be regarded as a vital aspect in teacher education and in professional learning. Data also indicated that leadership styles differ in relation to the context. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The leader’s role is deeply involved with setting the school’s direction; thus, teacher leadership preparation is essential for successful implementation of education processes and programs. Hence, we recommend that school leaders should be adequately prepared to face the tasks and the accompanying contextual challenges they face once assigned the responsibilities to lead institutions.

Preservice teacher education stakeholders' perceptions of distributed pedagogical leadership in nurturing teacher leadership

AbstractThe need for quality teaching and improved student learning outcomes has been an area of interest in educational leadership studies in various contexts. The emergent distributed pedagogical leadership is based on a hybrid of distributed leadership and pedagogical leadership concepts. This study aimed to explore the participants' perceptions and understanding of the enactment of the concept, its influence on pedagogical improvement and its significance in the nurturing of stakeholders as teacher leaders. The study was conducted at a preservice public teacher training college in Kenya. It employed a mixed‐methods research approach with a convergent parallel design to collect, analyse and triangulate data from 294 participants consisting of a principal, teacher–trainers and teacher–trainees. Random purposive sampling was used in identifying the participants. The findings revealed that although the distribution of pedagogical leadership responsibilities was enacted among stakeholders, it was unevenly shared. Furthermore, understaffing, low teacher–trainee enrolment and teacher–trainer workload challenges inhibited effective implementation. The study recommended that further studies be conducted at multiple teacher–trainee institutions to confirm the findings.

Engagement in Transformational Leadership by Teachers Influences the Levels of Self-Esteem, Motor Self-Efficacy, Enjoyment, and Intention to Be Active in Physical Education Students.

In the school context, the teacher-student interaction style plays a pivotal role in ensuring optimal adolescent functioning. Over recent years, the significance of transformational teacher leadership in fostering student engagement and positive development has been underscored. This study aimed to examine the correlations between transformational leadership and adolescent self-esteem, motor self-efficacy, enjoyment in physical education classes, and intention for future physical activity. This research used an associative and predictive strategy. A total of 429 adolescents from Málaga, aged between 14 and 16 years (M = 14.97; SD = 0.85), participated in this research, which employed an associative, comparative, and predictive approach. The Transformational Teaching Questionnaire (TTQ), Motor Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES), Intrinsic Satisfaction in Sport Instrument (SSI-EF), and Intention of Being Physically Active Scale (MIFA) were utilized for variable assessment. Correlation, Multiple Regression, and cluster analyses revealed statistically significant correlations between transformational leadership and self-esteem, motor self-efficacy, enjoyment, and future activity intention. Specifically, it was revealed that motivational inspiration predicts self-esteem, motor self-efficacy, enjoyment, and intention for physical activity, whereas intellectual stimulation predicts motor self-efficacy, enjoyment, and intention for physical activity. Notably, the transformational leadership factors of intellectual stimulation and motivational inspiration were observed to predict scores across other variables, particularly enjoyment in physical education classes, both overall and by gender. These findings suggest that transformational leadership in physical education classes can significantly enhance student experiences, thereby promoting adherence to physical activity and healthy lifestyles among adolescents.

Enhancing Teacher Leadership in Shandong Province's Universities Perceptions, Challenges, and Pathways to Empowerment

Enhancing Teacher Leadership in Shandong Province's Universities Perceptions, Challenges, and Pathways to Empowerment

Teacher Leadership, Wellbeing, and Intent to Leave in US Rural Schools: Evidence from the 2020–21 National Teacher and Principal Survey

Leadership in rural schools is well studied. However, few studies have investigated how teacher leadership influences rural teacher job satisfaction, burnout, and attrition. This study aimed to fill the research gap by analyzing data from the 2020–21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), focusing on U.S. rural teachers. Using a sample of approximately 8910 rural teachers selected through a two-stage sampling process, this research examines the associations between teacher leadership, teacher wellbeing, and their intent to leave. The survey, administered by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), included measures of teacher leadership (instructional and non-instructional), job satisfaction, burnout, and intent to leave. The authors found that (a) rural teachers with higher levels of teacher leadership reported higher levels of job satisfaction and lower levels of burnout, (b) rural teachers with higher levels of job satisfaction or lower levels of burnout are less likely to leave or move, and (c) instructional and particularly non-instructional teacher leadership are indirectly linked to teacher intent to leave or move through job satisfaction and burnout. The discussions, conclusions, and implications for school policy and school leadership are presented.

“I really got to think about my background, their background, and how do we come together on something?”: One emergent mathematics teacher leader's reflexive journey with Social Justice Mathematics

AbstractThis 2‐year qualitative case study focuses on one emergent mathematics teacher leader, Mr. Miller, and his conceptualization of Social Justice Mathematics (SJM). SJM is a justice‐oriented pedagogical approach where students simultaneously learn dominant mathematics and explore social injustices to take action toward justice. Using Rodriguez's (Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1998, 35, 589–622) sociotransformative constructivism framework, findings illuminate how dialogic conversation, authentic activity, and metacognition supported Mr. Miller's reflexivity about his positionality, which he described as “upper middle class, highly educated parents, white, male,” in relationship to his students' positionality. He taught in a public charter high school in an urban city in the Northeast United States, where approximately 60% of students identified as Black, 30% white, 10% mixed race, 1% Asian American, 1% Latine, and less than 1% Indigenous, with 60% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The article discusses of the importance of reflexivity for teachers and teacher leaders of all backgrounds, and especially when educators of dominant backgrounds work with students of historically marginalized backgrounds. The article calls for further research with more experienced mathematics teacher leaders of various backgrounds and contexts to further investigate justice‐centered mathematics teacher leadership.

Bridging theory and practice: A framework forSTEMteacher leadership

AbstractIncreasing demand for high‐quality STEM education calls for the formation and retention of effective educators with STEM expertise; yet endeavors to meet this demand require organizational structures and supports that can overcome the lack of collective understanding around STEM education, limited STEM knowledge by leadership, and mounting teacher attrition. STEM teacher leadership is one mechanism for addressing this challenge by empowering excellent classroom teachers with opportunities to institutionally shape STEM learning, without extracting them from their instructional role. This paper offers a STEM teacher leadership framework that targets teachers' identity development toward an equity‐focused, transformational STEM teacher leader. First, we examine the field of teacher leadership (both STEM‐specific and generally) to provide a foundation for the areas of potential impact by STEM teacher leaders, as well as dispositions and stances that support their emergent leadership. Complementing the literature, we explore and elevate aspiring STEM teacher leaders' perspectives, drawn from baseline surveys and interviews of a multi‐year professional development program for middle grade teachers in STEM disciplines. The framework, iteratively informed by these sources, includes our stance on equity in STEM education, eight dispositions, and four domains of knowledge and practices that shape STEM teacher leadership in K‐8 school settings.