Amira Salama

Abstract

The current study is an attempt to understand how the Egyptian English as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers perceive the concept of teacher leadership, a topic that has not received considerable attention in the educational leadership literature in this context. Teacher leadership is regarded as an important practice for school reform. In Egypt, language teachers struggle to find their own voices and meet the challenges of the job inside and outside the classroom. Attempts at school and education reform often disregard teachers’ understanding and application of new policies. This may result in the failure of these attempts since teachers are well-versed in school complexities and have the tools to implement change on the ground. These challenging realities of teaching make it imperative to investigate how EFL teachers perceive the concept of teacher leadership, examine what factors may influence these perceptions and provide suggestions to foster teacher leadership in schools. Adopting the teacher leadership definition of Katzenmeyer and Moller (2009), this study used a questionnaire and interviews to collect data on teacher leadership perceptions. The results of the study showed that Egyptian EFL teachers perceive teacher leadership mainly in terms of excellent teaching and effective interaction among themselves. Some differences in perceptions were found to be linked to teachers’ years of experience, their involvement in professional development activities, their geographical locations and gender. School administrators’ support was also found to be important in influencing how teachers practice leadership in their schools. In light of the study results, it appears that professional teacher associations and education stakeholders need to provide support to teachers to guide them towards a more comprehensive understanding of leadership and encourage them to demonstrate their leadership skills in schools for education reform to be effective. EFL classroom teachers as well need to be more proactive in preparing themselves for a leading role outside the classroom. Teachers should seek professional development and persistently work for creating opportunities to build their professional communities beyond the walls of the classroom. Teacher leadership is, as emphasized in the current study, a result of the collective efforts of everyone involved.

Department

Applied Linguistics Department

Degree Name

MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Graduation Date

6-1-2018

Submission Date

May 2018

First Advisor

Plumlee, Marilyn

Committee Member 1

Gebril, Atta

Committee Member 2

Agameya, Amira

Extent

183 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy. The author has granted the American University in Cairo or its agents a non-exclusive license to archive this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study, and to make it accessible, in whole or in part, in all forms of media, now or hereafter known.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

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