Insiders’ Voices: The Case of Informal Teacher Leaders in Lanao del Sur, Philippines
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2024.0527Keywords:
Case study, Informal teacher leaders, Teacher leadership, PhilippinesAbstract
As part of the continuing efforts to contribute to the literature and studies on informal teacher leadership, this study aimed to explore and investigate the case of informal teacher leaders in Lanao del Sur and proposed an informal teacher leadership model generated from the findings. This study utilized a qualitative approach and employed a case study design. To holistically understand the case, twenty-four informal teacher leaders from different secondary schools were purposively identified and recommended to participate in the study. The data were gathered through focused-group interviews, personal narratives, and observations and were analyzed through Thematic Analysis. The findings unveiled that leadership and informal teacher leadership are defined as a skill or a process of mobilizing people toward attaining goals. The findings also discovered developed leadership attitudes and skills essential for effective and successful leadership. Besides, these informal teacher leaders encountered conditions that encouraged or discouraged them from taking leadership roles and accepting additional duties and responsibilities. From these findings, an informal teacher leadership model was generated. This model could be adopted and properly implemented to formally recognize and increase informal teacher leaders, nurture and harness their potential, and motivate them to take leadership roles because they foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous teaching and learning improvement in schools.
Downloads
References
Angelle, P.S., & DeHart, C.A. (2011). Teacher perceptions of teacher leadership: Examining differences by experience, degree, and position. NASSP Bulletin, 95(2), 141-160. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192636511415397
Barth, R. (2001). Teacher leader. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(6), 443-449. https://doi.org/10.1177/003172170108200607
Beachum, F., & Dentith, A. (2004). Teacher leaders creating cultures of school renewal and transformation. The Educational Forum, 68, 276-286. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131720408984639
Berg, J. H., Horn, P., Supovitz, J. A., & Margolis, J. (2019). Typology of teacher leadership programs. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/cpre_researchreports/109 Blegen, M., & Kennedy, C. (2000). Principals and teachers, leading together. NASSP Bulletin. 84(616), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192636500084616
Buckner, K. G., & McDowelle, J. O. (2000). Developing teacher leaders: Providing encouragement, opportunities, and support. NASSP Bulletin, 84(616), 35-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/019263650008461607
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: Sage Publications. Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage publications.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach (5th ed.). Los Angeles, SAGE.
Crowther, F., Ferguson, M., & Hann, L. (2009). Developing teacher leaders: How teacher leadership enhances school success. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: Corwin Press. Crowther, F., Kaagen, S.S., Ferguson, M., & Hann, L. (2002). Developing teacher leaders: How teacher leadership enhances school success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Crowther, F., & Olsen, P. (1997). Teachers as leaders – An exploratory framework. International Journal of Educational Management, 11(1), 6–13.
https://doi.org/10.1108/09513549710155410
Cruz, M. (2018). The Impact of Teacher Leadership in Public High School. LSU Research Congress. De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines. https://tinyurl.com/yhnb56h5 Dami, Z. (2021). Informal teacher leadership: lessons from shepherd leadership, International Journal of Leadership in Education, 0(0), 1-30.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2021.1884749
Daniels, E., Hondaghem, A., & Dochy, F. (2019). A review on leadership and leadership development in educational setting. Educational Research Review, 27, 110-125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.02.003
Danielson, C. (2007). The many faces of leadership. Educational Leadership, 65(1), 14-19. https://ascd.org/el/articles/the-many-faces-of-leadership Danielson, C. (2006). Teacher leadership that strengthens professional practice. Alexandria, VA, USA: ASCD.
Deal, T. E. and Peterson, K. D. (2002). The shaping school cultures fieldbook. Jossey-Bass. San Francisco. CA.
DeMore-Palmer (2011). Insiders’ Voices: A Phenomenological Study of Informal Teacher Leadership from the Perspective of Those Who Choose to Lead (Doctorate Dissertation).
University of Pittsburgh
Elmore, R. F. (2000). Building a new structure for school leadership. Washington DC: The Albert Shanker Institute.
Fairman, J. C., & Mackenzie, S. V. (2012). Spheres of teacher leadership action for learning. Professional Development in Education, 38(2), 229-246. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2012.657865
Fitzgerald, T., & Gunter, H. M. (2008). Contesting the orthodoxy of teacher leadership. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 11(4), 331–340. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603120802317883
Frost, D. (2012). From professional development to system change: Teacher leadership and innovation. Professional Development in Education, 38 (2), 205-227. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2012.657861
Fullan, M. (2007). Leading in a culture of change (Rev. ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Fullan, M. G. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Fullan, M. (1993). Why Teachers Must Become Change Agents. Educational Leadership, 50(6), 1-13. https://tinyurl.com/5t2ek8jx
Goldstein, J. (2004). Making sense of distributed leadership: The case of peer assistance and review. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 26, 173-197. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737026002173
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Boston, MA: Harvard Business.
Gronn, P. (2000). Distributed properties: a new architecture for leadership. Educational Management and Administration, 28(3), 317-338. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263211X000283006 Hammarberg, K., Kirkman, M., de Lacey, S. (2016). Qualitative research methods: when to use them and how to judge them. Human Reproduction, 31(3), 498-501.
https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dev334
Handy, C. (1992). The language of leadership. Frontiers of Leadership. Eds. Syrett and Hogg. Oxford: Blackwell.
Harris, A. (2010). Distributed leadership: evidence and implications. In T. Bush, L. Bell & D. Middlewood, (Eds.), The Principles of Education Leadership and Management (2nd ed.).
London: Sage.
Harris, A. (2002). Effective Leadership in Schools Facing Challenging Contexts (Research Report). University of Warwick, United Kingdom
Helterbran, V.R. (2010). Teacher Leadership: Overcoming “I Am Just a Teacher' Syndrome”. Education, 131, 363-371. https://tinyurl.com/bujuxfpz
Johnson, S., & Donaldson, M. (2007). Overcoming the Obstacles to Leadership. Educational leadership: Journal of the Department of Supervision and Curriculum Development, 65(1), 8-13. https://tinyurl.com/mve8349z
Kasapoğlu, H. & Karaca, B. (2021). Teachers’ Views on Teacher Leadership: A Qualitative Analysis. International Journal of Progressive Education, 17 (6). https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2021.382.5
Katzenmeyer, M., & Moller, G. (2009). Awakening the sleeping giant. Helping teachers develop as leaders (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin. Lambert, L., (2002). Leading the conversations. The constructivist leader. 2nd Edn., New York: Teachers College.
Leithwood, K. (2012). The Ontario leadership framework with a discussion of research foundations. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/4r4dhmf6
Lieberman, A., & Miller, L. (2005). Teachers as leaders. The Educational Forum, 69, 151-162. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131720508984679 Lieberman, A., & Miller, L. (2004). Teacher Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.
Lieberman, A., & Friedrich, L. (2007). Teachers, writers, and leaders. Educational Leadership, 65(1), 42–47. https://archive.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/2473
Lieberman, A., Saxl, E. R., & Miles, M. B. (1998). Teacher Leadership: Ideology and Practice. In A. Lieberman (Ed.), Building a Professional Culture in Schools 148-166. New York: Teachers College Press.
Little, J. W. (1988). Assessing the prospects for teacher leadership. In A. Lieberman (Ed), Building a professional culture in schools, 78-106. New York: Teacher’s College Press. Mangin, M. (2005). Distributed leadership and the culture of schools: Teacher leaders’ strategies for gaining access to classrooms. Journal of School Leadership, 15(4), 456–484.
https://doi.org/ 10.1177/105268460501500405
Martin, J. (2018). Unlocking the Potential for Every Teacher to Lead: A Phenomenological Study of Informal Teacher Leadership (Doctorate Dissertation). Lesley University] Meyer, D. (2019). What Is Teacher Leadership? Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/4hyfdfbt
Molinaro, V. (2016). The Leadership Contract: The Fine Print to Becoming an Accountable Leader. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Muijs, D., & Harris, A. (2007). Teacher Leadership in (in) action. Three Case Studies of Contrasting Schools. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 35(1), 111–134. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143207071387
Muijs, D., & Harris, A. (2006). Teacher led school improvement: Teacher leadership in the U.K. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22 (8), 961-972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.04.010 Muijs, D., & Harris, A. (2003). Teacher leadership--Improvement through empowerment? An overview of the literature. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 31(4), 437-
448. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263211X030314007
Murphy, J. (2005). Connecting teacher leadership and school improvement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Northouse, P. G. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Oracion, C. (2017). Teacher leadership in public schools in the Philippines (Doctorate Dissertation). Institute of Education, University of London
Pineda-Báez, C., Bauman, C., & Andrews, D. (2019). Empowering teacher leadership: a cross-country study, International Journal of Leadership in Education, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2018.1543804
Pink, D. (2011). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.
Ross, C. (2019). Informal Teacher Leadership: How and Why Classroom Teachers Engage in Leadership (Doctorate Dissertation). State University of New Jersey
Sabatini, E. (2002). Teachers’ Perspectives of Emergent Teacher Leadership in an Elementary School (Doctorate Dissertation). University of Georgia
Vasileiou, K., Barnett, J., Thorpe, S., Young, T. (2018). Characterising and justifying sample size sufficiency in interview-based studies: systematic analysis of qualitative health research over a 15-year period. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1). https://doi.org/110.1186/S12874-018-0594-7
Wenner, J. A., & Campbell, T. (2017). The theoretical and empirical basis of teacher leadership: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 87(1), 134-171. https://doi.org/10.3102/003465431665347
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. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074003255
Yukl, G. (2006). Leadership in organizations (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
