Promoting and Supporting Teacher Leaders: The Potential of Targeted Professional Development

Year 2025, Volume: 10 Issue: 4, 946 - 981, 24.12.2025

Samuel Fancera , Heejung An

https://doi.org/10.30828/real.1758556

Abstract

This exploratory sequential mixed-methods study investigated strategies to promote and support teacher leadership by integrating the concepts of teacher leadership, self-leadership, and principal support. Drawing on qualitative data collected from 25 educators across four schools during interviews (n = 25) and observations (n = 20), three key themes emerged: the diversity of teacher leadership tasks, the importance of supportive and collaborative school environments, and the challenges and motivations to influence teacher engagement. Teachers assumed both formal and informal leadership roles, often driven by intrinsic motivation and a commitment to student success, but constrained by systemic barriers such as time, workload, and lack of adequate compensation. Professional development modules for school leaders and teacher leaders were developed and tested after a four-week implementation period using the Teacher Leadership Scale and the Abbreviated Self-Leadership Questionnaire. Quantitative analyses revealed no changes in scores on either instrument. The study’s overall findings suggest while short-term interventions may raise awareness about teacher leadership and self-leadership, sustained and school-wide efforts are necessary to meaningfully enhance teacher leadership. This study contributes to the literature by integrating teacher leadership, self-leadership, and principal leadership within a unified framework, demonstrating how self-leadership serves as a foundation for sustainable teacher leadership development. The findings underscore the need for school leaders to foster cultures of trust, autonomy, and collaboration, and to provide structural supports that enable teachers to lead for positive influence in a sustainable manner.

Keywords

Teacher leadership , self-leadership theory , principals , school leadership , potential practical benefit

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