Teachers' Perceptions of Leadership Approaches of In-School Administrators

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to collect, analyse, and represent teachers’ stories of experience regarding varied leadership approaches of in-school administrators. In this study, I focused on teachers' perceptions of the role of the in-school administrators as viewed through teachers' experiences of the leadership approaches of in-school administrators and the impact of these perceptions on the teachers’ professional practice. Data collection occurred in two stages: first, an anonymous online survey was completed by 63 participants; and second, one-on-one confidential interviews were conducted with seven participants. All research participants were practicing teachers from southern Saskatchewan schools, and all volunteered to participate. I explored participants’ stories of their experience with in-school administrators using a narrative inquiry methodology, which positioned me and my participants as peers and co-constructors of understanding. Guided by inquiry methodology, I viewed and analyzed the data (participants’ survey responses and personal interview narratives) through an adaptation of McCormack’s Lenses (Dibley, 2011; McCormack, 2004) specifically designed for this study; the three modified lenses focused on the understandings that participants and I co-constructed in the course of interviews (What We Construct), the language participants used to describe their perceptions of various approaches to in-school leadership (How They Describe), and the content of the personal narratives that participants shared as they described their experiences with, and perceptions of, in-school leadership approaches (What They Describe). In general, through the research, I found that teachers percieved the leadership approaches of in-school administrators as a powerful influence on the school climate and on their own professional practice, and that teachers have specific hopes an expectations for the role of in-school administrators. I conclude this research text by providing a number of recommendations for in-school administrators regarding their leadership approaches, based on participating teachers’ perceptions and experiences. Keywords: teachers; administrators; leadership; narrative inquiry