Perceptions And Reported Practices of Teacher Leadership by Saudi Teachers, Principals and Supervisors in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This research investigates teacher leadership in selected public schools within Riyadh's Educational Directorate, Saudi Arabia. It explores the perceptions of key stakeholders: principals, supervisors, and teachers, concerning teacher leadership, the factors that empower or inhibit teachers to lead, and the professional development and nurturing of teacher leadership. The study is framed by Grant’s teacher leadership model and three related theories, communities of practice, distributed leadership, and professional learning communities. A nested case study approach was adopted to select two contrasting schools, assessed through their annual evaluations. The qualitative research design combined interviews, observations, focus groups, and reflective essays, involving participants with at least two years of teaching experience. The findings show very different understandings of teacher leadership across the two schools. Gold school appears to adopt a broad view of teacher leadership, within and beyond classrooms, while Silver school has a narrow perspective, limited to classroom leadership. Supervisors, principals, and teachers have different perceptions about teacher leaders. These differences are influenced by culture as well as the school system. The targeted professional development and school environment promoting empowerment and collaboration is closely related to the effective promotion of teacher leadership. The identified obstacles to fostering teacher leadership include limited autonomy, unclear roles, and a lack of consistent support mechanisms. The study findings indicate the need to structure programmes and policies so that teachers can enact leadership and play more meaningful roles in school improvement.