A Study on Teacher Professionalism and Teacher Leadership: The Teachers' Viewpoint

Abstract

This study looks at the current situation of how teachers view the concepts of teacher professionalism and teacher leadership in New Zealand primary schools. It is a small scale study located in two large city primary schools, where it was identified by others in the profession that sharing of leadership was a common practice, and that they were high performing schools. I was interested in gathering the information from teachers with a range of teaching experience, and finding out what were the common understandings surrounding these concepts. The literature reviewed shows there is an international focus on developing leadership capacity within schools. It is argued that in order to sustain the development of schools in such complex times while remaining focused on the core business of the learning of the students, leadership is an activity that all teachers should be involved in, as it is a recognized component for improving the professional role of the teacher. The study was carried out by interviewing twelve teachers who had a range of experience and held a range of leadership positions from beginning teachers through to deputy principals. The findings showed the teachers in this study understood there is a close link between their leadership and their professionalism and that one reinforced the other. The teachers were empowered to take their professional development to new heights as the school culture reinforced the collective responsibility the teachers had for school development.