Unlocking the potential for every teacher to lead a phenomenolog

Lesley University DigitalCommons@Lesley Educational Studies Dissertations Graduate School of Education (GSOE) Fall 11-2018 Unlocking the Potential for Every Teacher to Lead: A Phenomenological Study of Informal Teacher Leadership Jennifer M. Martin Lesley University, martin.com Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.edu/education_dissertations Part of the Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Community College Leadership Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Elementary Education Commons, and the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons Recommended Citation Martin, Jennifer M., "Unlocking the Potential for Every Teacher to Lead: A Phenomenological Study of Informal Teacher Leadership" (2018). Educational Studies Dissertations.edu/education_dissertations/142 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School of Education (GSOE) at DigitalCommons@Lesley. It has been accepted for inclusion in Educational Studies Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Lesley.

For more information, please contact digitalcommons@lesley. Running head: UNLOCKING TEACHER LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL i Unlocking the Potential for Every Teacher to Lead: A Phenomenological Study of Informal Teacher Leadership A Dissertation Presented by Jennifer M. Martin Submitted to the Graduate School of Education Lesley University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY September 2018 Ph. Educational Studies Educational Leadership Specialization UNLOCKING TEACHER LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL ii Unlocking the Potential for Every Teacher to Lead: A Phenomenological Study of Informal Teacher Leadership Jennifer M.

Martin Graduate School of Education Lesley University Ph. Educational Studies Educational Leadership Specialization Approvals In the judgment of the following signatories, this Dissertation meets the academic standards that have been established for the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Naso ___________________________ __________ Doctoral Committee Chair Date Dr. Conley ___________________________ __________ Doctoral Committee Member Date Dr.

Attwood ___________________________ __________ Doctoral Committee Member Date Dr. Stephen Gould ___________________________ __________ Director, Educational leadership Specialization Date Dr. Benda Matthis ___________________________ __________ Director, Ph. Educational Studies Date Dr.

Amy Rutstein-Riley ___________________________ __________ Dean, Graduate School of Education Date UNLOCKING TEACHER LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL iii ã Copyright By Jennifer M. Martin 2018 All Rights Reserved UNLOCKING TEACHER LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL iv ABSTRACT This qualitative study of informal teacher leaders used a phenomenological method of research to investigate the lived experiences of teachers who have led in schools without a formal title or position of leadership. The study used a mixed methods approach to gathering data including a survey of 111 secondary educators in Eastern Massachusetts and 10 interviews with informal teacher leaders at the high school and middle school levels. The study inquired about how informal teacher leaders understand the concept of teacher leadership, what motivates and prepares them for leadership, the factors and conditions that encourage or discourage engagement in informal teacher leadership, and their accounts of how they exercise leadership and the impact of their leadership on their communities.

The analysis of the data led to six findings that illuminated the phenomenon of informal teacher leadership. This study found that informal teacher leadership is unique both in the ways in which it emerges from within teachers who see reason to advocate for ideas they find meaningful and in the ways that colleagues regard and reinforce these initiatives. Informal teacher leaders have certain dispositions that contribute to their likelihood of inhabiting a leadership stance such as being passionate, inviting, right- minded, and bold. These teachers are primarily motivated to improve both their students’ learning and their relationships with colleagues.

They demonstrate a desire to work collaboratively in service of improving their school communities and acquire their leadership skills through indirect and informal methods. Informal teacher leaders in this study also concluded that formal leaders play an integral part in encouraging and enabling leadership behaviors in teachers. The implications of this study reveal that teachers are capable of acting as powerful leaders who have positive impacts on their schools and that formal leaders are important partners in advocating for shared leadership between administrators and teachers. In UNLOCKING TEACHER LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL v addition, having more time designated for teachers to learn about their potential power as informal leaders would be beneficial for all educators, even those in pre-service learning programs.

Key words: informal teacher leadership, non-positional teacher leadership, teacher leadership, shared leadership, leadership stance UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I was surprised and thankful that over 100 educators in Eastern Massachusetts were willing to respond to the survey that began this project. I am eternally grateful to the ten interview participants who gave up their free time to meet with me and talk about their experiences. Without them, this study would not have been possible. This dissertation shows that they are incredible leaders inside and outside of their classrooms.

Four years ago, when I decided to enroll in a doctoral program, I started a new teaching position in the alternative, democratic program within my high school, where I went from Ms. Martin to Jen. There, I joined a cohort of seven educators committed to the crazy experiment of sharing power with their students. Relearning how to teach was not easy, but it was via this transition that I felt most inspired to learn how to truly operate in a democratic environment and subsequently began to see leadership through a democratic lens.

Dan Bresman and John Andrews were especially important in helping me stay sane and encouraging me to keep a healthy work/life balance during this seemingly impossible task. It is our covert snack times and lunch breaks that makes me so grateful to come to work every day with such caring and loving colleagues. My incredible dissertation committee provided me with two years of constant encouragement and feedback. Judy Conely’s attention to detail and ability to elevate my voice encouraged me to actually seem scholarly by the end! Polly Atwood’s precise comments are what I aspire to be able to write on my own students’ papers.

She cheered me on and pushed me in exactly the right way. My advisor, Paul Naso, is like an email cowboy, the fastest responder in the country. Paul’s excitement for my topic and his unwavering support and detailed feedback made me feel like it was actually possible to accomplish this endeavor. UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL vii When I felt myself losing momentum I often thought of my father, who did not live to see me complete this dissertation.

He, along with my mother, gave me their steady support to pursue my doctorate. I know that he would have been very interested in discussing the ideas and findings that my research uncovered. My desire to make my parents proud and the memory of my father’s encouraging Van “isms” ran though my head weekly when I would sit down to write or research. When I started this adventure, my kids were four and eight.

There were many weekends and nights spent waiting for me to finish writing a paper or working on this dissertation. Thank you to Margot and Graham for always cheering me on. My biggest thanks are reserved for my best friend and wife, Whitney Wilson, who acted as my personal librarian, editor, babysitter, cheerleader, and shoulder to cry on. No one has been more supportive of me and given up so much for me to achieve this life-long dream.

UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL viii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1: Interview participants’ demographic information. 80 Table 2: Survey data analysis labels corresponding with research questions .102 Figure 1: Elements necessary for a teacher to potentially occupy a leadership stance .137 Figure 2: Possible factors contributing to an informal teacher leader’s ability to exert influence and power in their school.139 UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT. vi LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES. viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION.

1 Statement of the Problem. 3 Purpose of the Study. 5 Definition of Terms. 7 Significance of the Study.

8 Delimitations of the Study. 12 Methods and Procedures. 15 Qualitative Research Method. 15 Participants and Data Collection.

16 Analysis of Data. 17 Outline of Chapters. 17 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. 19 The Need for Democratic Leadership in Schools.

22 Shared Leadership Theories. 32 Teacher Leadership Within Dispersed Leadership Theories. 34 Defining Teacher Leadership. 36 The Leader in Teacher Leadership.

36 Varying Definitions of Teacher Leadership. 37 Enacting Teacher Leadership. 44 Helping and Hindering Teacher Leadership. 47 The Role of Principal in Teacher Leadership.

47 Impediments to Teacher Leadership. 49 Fostering Teacher Leadership. 51 Informal Teacher Leadership. 54 Informal Teacher Leadership.

56 The Future of Teacher Leadership Literature. 69 CHAPTER THREE: METHODS AND PROCEDURES. 71 Design of the Study. 71 Role of the researcher.

74 UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL x Study Participants. 78 Data Collection Methods. 85 Data Analysis Procedures. 91 Survey Analysis Procedures.

91 Interview Analysis Procedures. 92 Validity and Credibility. 94 Participants and Timing. 95 Trustworthiness of Analysis.

99 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS .100 Survey Data Analysis of Formal Leaders .101 Survey Data Coding.102 Interview Data Analysis.103 Conceptions of Informal Teacher Leadership.105 Conceptions of Formal Leaders versus Informal Leaders .106 Experience and Credibility.108 Informal Teacher Leader Dispositions .110 From Dispositions to Action: Informal Teacher Leaders as Problem-Solvers .118 Identifying Local and Global Problems .120 Exercising Informal Teacher Leadership .129 Desire and Appreciation for Collaboration .132 Adopting an Informal Teacher Leadership Stance .136 Expanding Spheres of Influence Through Collaborative Relationships.137 Leveraging Relationships to Enact Change .139 Understanding the Power of Non-Positional Teacher Leadership: A Lesson in Informal Learning .149 Inspiration and Role Models .151 Motivations for Informal Teacher Leadership .154 Efficacy in the Teaching Profession .156 Collaboration with Colleagues Increases Motivation .158 Dynamics of Informal Teacher Leadership Power and Influence .163 UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL xi Clear Distinctions Between Informal Teacher Leadership and Administrative Positions.164 Promoting or Discouraging Informal Teacher Leaders .166 Friends and Family .168 Formal Leader Colleagues .170 Factors that Encourage Informal Teacher Leadership .176 CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, IMPLICATION, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND REFLECTIONS .181 Discussion of Findings .182 Informal Teacher Leadership as a Complex Stance .183 More Space to Learn about Teacher Leadership and Time to Reflect .187 Positive Implications of Informal Teacher Leadership .190 Synergy with Formal Leaders .194 Implications for Practitioners and Scholarship .199 Implications for Practitioners .199 Implications for Policy Makers .202 Implications for Pre-Service Education Programs .203 Implications for Future Research .228 UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION To many, teaching is a stagnant profession: veteran teachers find themselves completing the same tasks as the newly hired teacher with very little variation in job responsibilities between the years of service (Helterbran, 2010). Ten years into my own career, I was relieved to find that I still loved teaching history and working with teenagers; however, many of my contemporaries had already enrolled in administrative programs or were looking for a way to “move up” in their educational settings. In many countries, including the United States, there is an entire industry devoted to leadership certification and training in order to fast-track teachers into administrative positions (Fitzgerald & Gunter, 2008). These programs are often billed as a natural progression in a teacher’s career; in fact, many educators view administrative leadership as a promotion from teaching.

The special value placed on becoming an administrative leader is also evident in the fact that administrative leaders are compensated with high salaries (Helterbran, 2010). Administrators at my high school assumed that I, too, would want to move into leadership (administrative) positions, mostly because I have often volunteered to work on school-wide committees and initiatives. Over the past few years, with each new administrative position posted, I failed to work up the desire to apply; I started to wonder why I was not motivated to enter into a traditional leadership position. I balked because, I do not think being an administrator is the same thing as being a teacher.

While moving into administrative positions can be seen as a promotion and a natural step up from teaching, from my perspective, the two jobs could not be more different.