Search results
1 – 10 of over 18000Waheed Hammad, Mahmut Polatcan and Hosam Morad
Research investigating the impact of school leadership on teachers’ emotions and practices has mostly focused on the leadership behaviors of school principals, thus ignoring the…
Abstract
Purpose
Research investigating the impact of school leadership on teachers’ emotions and practices has mostly focused on the leadership behaviors of school principals, thus ignoring the potential leadership qualities of other school members, especially teachers. The current study aimed to bridge this gap by providing further insight into the link between teacher leadership and teacher outcomes in Egyptian schools. Specifically, the study examined the mediating role of collective teacher efficacy in the relationship between teacher leadership and teacher commitment.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employed structural equation modeling and bootstrapping to analyze survey data collected from 497 teachers in primary and middle schools in Damietta city, Egypt.
Findings
The results supported our proposition that teachers’ leadership practices have more indirect than direct effects on teacher commitment through collective teacher efficacy. That is, teacher leadership practices positively affect teachers’ efficacy beliefs, which, in turn, increase their sense of commitment to school.
Originality/value
The study adds a new aspect to the literature by investigating the potential role of teacher leadership in promoting positive teacher attitudes that can have a positive impact on student learning. This is significant given the growing emphasis that educational systems place on enhancing school effectiveness. Specifically, understanding the factors that contribute to teacher commitment can inform strategies for retaining effective teachers and improving the overall quality of the teaching workforce. Additionally, since most of the empirical research on teacher leadership has been produced in Western contexts, it is important to enrich the field with studies conducted in other societies, especially in the Arab region.
Details
Keywords
Joonkil Ahn and Alex J. Bowers
Leadership for learning emerged as an integrated leadership framework; however, attempts to establish an empirical measurement model have been limited. Critically, not much is…
Abstract
Purpose
Leadership for learning emerged as an integrated leadership framework; however, attempts to establish an empirical measurement model have been limited. Critically, not much is known about how much teachers' beliefs (e.g. self-efficacy) can mediate leadership for learning impact on teacher behaviors. This study establishes a leadership for learning measurement model and examines whether teacher self-efficacy mediates the effect of leadership for learning tasks on teacher collaboration, instructional quality, intention to leave current schools and their confidence in equitable teaching practice.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the most recent 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the study employed a structural equation modeling mediation approach.
Findings
Results suggested that teacher self-efficacy statistically significantly mediated 16 out of 20 of the relationships between leadership for learning task domains and teacher outcomes. Especially, in explaining the variance in instructional quality and teacher confidence in implementing equitable teaching practices, considerable proportions of the predictive power of leadership for learning tasks were accounted for (i.e. mediated) by teacher self-efficacy.
Research limitations/implications
School-wide efforts to craft the school vision for learning must be coupled with enhancing teacher self-efficacy. Critically, leadership efforts may fall short of implementing equitable teaching practice and quality instruction without addressing teacher confidence in their ability in instruction, classroom management and student engagement.
Originality/value
This study is the first of its kind to evidence teacher self-efficacy mediates leadership for learning practice impact on teacher behaviors.
Details
Keywords
Whilst professional learning communities (PLCs) have been widely explored at the school level, they have received less attention at the departmental level. The study takes the…
Abstract
Purpose
Whilst professional learning communities (PLCs) have been widely explored at the school level, they have received less attention at the departmental level. The study takes the variance between departments and the role of departmental teacher leaders into consideration, and the relationships amongst departmental-level PLC dimensions, two types of teacher leadership (TL) and individual teacher self-efficacy are investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample consisted of 907 teachers from 81 departments in Chinese schools. The associations between the studied variables were explored through a multi-level analysis approach.
Findings
The results show that two specific characteristics of departmental PLCs, namely reflective dialogue (RD) and collective responsibility (CR), exhibit a positive correlation with individual teacher self-efficacy. Additionally, the findings indicate that teacher transformational leadership significantly predicts teacher self-efficacy, whereas teacher instructional leadership (IL) does not emerge as a significant predictor. These findings may be attributed to the contextual factors of Chinese teachers' collective work and the practice of teacher leaders.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the existing literature by addressing the variance between departments and uncovering the impacts of departmental PLC dimensions on individual teachers. Furthermore, two TL styles at the departmental level are differentiated, and their distinct influences on teacher self-efficacy are further analysed.
Details
Keywords
Hui-Ling Wendy Pan and Wen-Yan Chen
The importance of teacher leadership in enhancing school outcomes is recognized, but there remains a scarcity of research addressing the conditions for principals to nurture such…
Abstract
Purpose
The importance of teacher leadership in enhancing school outcomes is recognized, but there remains a scarcity of research addressing the conditions for principals to nurture such leadership. This study examined how school contextual factors, i.e. faculty trust and academic emphasis, moderate the impact of principals' distributed leadership lon teacher leadership.
Design/methodology/approach
A nationwide survey was conducted among junior high school teachers in Taiwan. The sample encompassed schools from different geographical regions and sizes, yielding a total of 1,340 valid responses. Hierarchical regression analyses were employed to analyze the potential moderating effects of interest.
Findings
There were interactive effects of principals' distributed leadership and school contextual factors on teachers' adoption of leadership roles. The impact of principals' distributed leadership on teacher leadership was amplified in environments marked by elevated levels of trust relations and reduced academic emphasis.
Practical implications
This study uncovers the critical prerequisites principals must address to cultivate teacher leadership. To effectively encourage heightened teacher engagement in leadership, principals must place a premium on nurturing trusting relations with their teaching staff and acknowledge that the influence of their leadership might be lessened in an environment where credentialism holds sway.
Originality/value
The exploration into faculty trust and academic emphasis yields insights into the conducive conditions for principals to foster teacher leadership. The identified attenuating impact of academic emphasis on principal effect within an Asian societal context highlights its significance not only as an organizational property but also as a manifestation of national cultural values.
Details
Keywords
Peng Liu, Xiao Fei Chen, Ya Xi Cheng and Shan Shan Xiao
Teacher well-being has been a concern, but there has been a lack of research on how teacher leadership can contribute to teacher well-being in a high-accountability context and a…
Abstract
Purpose
Teacher well-being has been a concern, but there has been a lack of research on how teacher leadership can contribute to teacher well-being in a high-accountability context and a hierarchical education system such as that of China, particularly through the meditating roles of trust in the leader and teacher efficacy. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between teacher leadership and teacher well-being while exploring the mediating roles of trust in leaders and teacher efficacy in this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Using structural equation modeling (SEM) and bootstrap methods with valid answers from 1,144 teachers in 25 primary schools in 1 Chinese city, this study mainly answered three questions: Is there a significant relationship between teacher leadership and teacher well-being? Is there a significant mediating effect of trust in leaders on the relationship between teacher leadership and teacher well-being? Is there a significant mediating effect of teacher efficacy on the relationship between teacher leadership and teacher well-being?
Findings
This study reported a positive relationship between teacher leadership and teacher well-being. This study also found positive mediating roles for trust in leaders and teacher efficacy in the relationship between teacher leadership and teacher well-being in a high-accountability and hierarchical system like that of China.
Originality/value
This study provides an understanding of the transferability of teacher leadership theories across cultures and has practical significance for educational practice in high-accountability and hierarchical education contexts similar to that of China.
Details
Keywords
Izhak Berkovich and Tahani Hassan
The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of teachers' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the relationship between principals' perceived distributed…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of teachers' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the relationship between principals' perceived distributed leadership and organizational learning capability in schools.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs a quantitative research design and a survey methodology. Data were collected from 400 teachers in Bahrain.
Findings
The results reveal that teachers' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation fully mediates the relationship between principals' perceived distributed leadership and organizational learning capability in schools.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the literature on distributed leadership, organizational learning and motivation by highlighting the important mediating role of teachers' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the relationship between principals' perceived distributed leadership and organizational learning capability. The study also has practical implications for school administrators by suggesting that distributed leadership practices can be an effective strategy for promoting organizational learning capability in schools.
Details
Keywords
Lei Mee Thien, Igusti Ngurah Darmawan and Donnie Adams
This study aims to investigate the direct and indirect relationships among principal instructional leadership, collective teacher efficacy, and teacher commitment using multilevel…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the direct and indirect relationships among principal instructional leadership, collective teacher efficacy, and teacher commitment using multilevel analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed quantitative cross-sectional research design. Data were collected from 1,328 teachers selected from 71 Malaysian primary schools.
Findings
The direct relationship between instructional leadership and teacher commitment was significant at the school level. Similarly, instructional leadership exhibits a significant direct effect on collective teacher efficacy. Collective teacher efficacy also has a significant direct effect on teacher commitment. The results also indicate a significant indirect effect at school level between instructional leadership and teacher commitment through collective teacher efficacy.
Research limitations/implications
The multilevel analysis among instructional leadership, collective teacher efficacy, and teacher commitment warrant further investigations with larger sample sizes at both group and individual levels.
Originality/value
This study supplements previous findings by contributing more rigorous empirical evidence using multilevel analysis. The findings extend current knowledge in the principal instructional leadership literature in the context of a Southeast Asian country.
Details
Keywords
Principal instructional leadership and teacher participation in decision-making are conceptualized as shared instructional leadership (SIL) – a management philosophy that…
Abstract
Purpose
Principal instructional leadership and teacher participation in decision-making are conceptualized as shared instructional leadership (SIL) – a management philosophy that positively impacts student academic performance. However, the statistically meaningful relationship between SIL and student performance remains controversial as SIL functioning is influenced by various fundamental school conditions shaped by education policy, including high-stakes accountability, school autonomy and teacher professionalization. The authors examined the relationship between three SIL policy configurations and promising student performance: inclusion, exclusion and insensitive to SIL.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis on data obtained from the Program for International Student Assessment (2015) results, including principals' responses to leadership questions and school conditions shaped by policy, and student science scores in 64 countries and areas.
Findings
The role of SIL in student performance varied among the three configurations, and the condition of teacher professionalization in the configuration was consistently associated with high student performance.
Originality/value
SIL can create conditions for continued professional development of the teaching workforce in conjunction with school conditions shaped by policy.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of a teacher leadership academy (TLA) organized through a school district/university partnership in a small, US Suburban…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of a teacher leadership academy (TLA) organized through a school district/university partnership in a small, US Suburban School District in increasing teachers’ participation in leadership activities.
Design/methodology/approach
TLA participants (n=11) were surveyed using the Teacher Leadership Activities Scale, and their results were compared to a control group of teachers in the district who were not participating in the TLA (n=12). Interviews and open-ended response items provided qualitative data to examine how the TLA contributed to teachers’ growth as leaders.
Findings
Results indicated that teachers in the TLA did increase participation in teacher leadership activities. Qualitative data revealed themes of many espoused benefits from TLA participation, including increased interactions with administrators, improved understanding of the obstacles associated with implementing changes, and expanded leadership capacity.
Research limitations/implications
Conditions that both enhanced and detracted from teacher leaders’ growth were identified and outlined, including formal leaders’ participation in TLA activities, material support for projects, and a supportive atmosphere (enhancers) and administrative roadblocks and the inability to remediate capacity issues for teacher leaders (detractors).
Originality/value
The conditions outlined above will assist those interested in creating TLAs in doing so with purpose and increased chance for buy in and success.
Details
Keywords
Xi Bei Xiong, Cher Ping Lim and Shi Qi Liu
Teacher education programmes are critical in developing pre-service teachers’ competencies during the apprenticeship phase (Lim et al., 2010), whereas there is evidence indicating…
Abstract
Purpose
Teacher education programmes are critical in developing pre-service teachers’ competencies during the apprenticeship phase (Lim et al., 2010), whereas there is evidence indicating that teacher education programmes depend on curriculum leadership (Robinson et al., 2008). The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which curriculum leaders enact their curriculum leadership to enhance teacher education programmes in a context of a normal university in Mainland China.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, three groups of curriculum leaders, from university, faculty and classroom level, respectively, are interviewed.
Findings
This study highlights the significance of curriculum leadership in teacher education programmes enhancement in China, particularly the significant impacts from curriculum leaders’ involvement on the programme processes of planning, implementation and evaluation.
Research limitations/implications
Implications for research include a conceptualization of curriculum leadership in teacher education and pre-service teachers’ training in China, and a theoretical integration of curriculum leadership and the enhancement of teacher education programmes.
Originality/value
Implications for practice regard to restructuring curriculum leadership system and informing curriculum leadership practices, not only in Asian countries, but might be able to shed light on the curriculum leadership development in a range of educational contexts either similar to or different from that of Mainland China. This study thus would contribute to several areas of research.
Details