Degree Name

EdD (Doctor of Education)

Program

Educational Leadership

Date of Award

5-2015

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

William Flora

Committee Members

Cecil Blankenship, Bethany Flora, Pamela Scott

Abstract

Effective leadership has a positive impact upon schools and student achievement. Teacher inclusion in leadership efforts has grown during a time of school reform. In order to sustain and define teacher leader responsibilities, efficacious teachers need to be supported by school and district administrators. A case study was used to understand the dynamics of self-efficacy as it pertains to teacher leaders in the Oak Ridge School District in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Purposive sampling was used to select 5 teacher leaders and 2 district administrators for the case study. Interviews along with observations of meetings facilitated by teacher leaders allowed for inductive analysis of the phenomenon of self-efficacy for teachers in formal leadership roles.

Self-efficacy of teacher leaders can be nurtured through various structures, climates, and learning opportunities. School districts can purposefully design teacher leadership opportunities with a clearly defined vision for all stakeholders. The findings of the study support and extend the literature on the sources of self-efficacy. Attention to the sources of efficacy for teacher leaders could help administrators plan successful leadership opportunities and assists in retention for teacher leadership roles.

Document Type

Dissertation - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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