Teacher Perceptions of Teacher Leadership Culture Dimensions Towards Professional Growth in a Rural South Texas School District

Abstract

Teachers are influential when it comes to improving students’ academic success, and teacher leadership is the foundation of these efforts as it is based on the ability to communicate meaningful information and build relationships among staff. While schools have embraced the concept of teacher leadership, the quality of professional development required to change and reform the way teachers learn and develop professionally, academically, and socially has limited teachers’ ability to explore their leadership potential. The significance of teacher collaboration and teacher leadership plays a vital role in the development of school culture and overall school improvement.

The study involved a rural South Texas school district that has been implementing teacher leadership initiatives. Teachers from all campuses completed an online survey that entailed both the Teacher Leadership Culture Scale and open-ended questions. The research aimed to examine how teachers perceived the teacher leadership culture in a rural South Texas school district. The study analyzed the relationships between the teacher leadership culture and teachers’ perceptions across three foci: Professional Collaboration, Administrative Support, and a Supportive Working Environment. The results of the Bivariate Correlation indicated the strongest relationship evident between the dimensions of Administrative Support and Supportive Working Environment (r=.571; p<0.1). Additionally, two important factors that were found in both the quantitative and qualitative analyses entailed student need and teacher voice.