The Apprenticeship of leadership in EFL secondary classroom

Abstract

This study was conducted in order to investigate what leadership characteristics Algerian secondary school teachers of English demonstrate, and how leadership is distributed in their classrooms. It tries also to shed light on the factors that may enable or constrain such an endeavour. This mixed method study investigates the distributed leadership by gauging the directness/ indirectness of influence exercised by four EFL teachers using the FIA (Flanders' Interaction Analysis). It was triangulated by gauging the perceptions of eighty students of these observed teachers using the questionnaire instrument and interviewing the observed teachers to obtain their self-perceptions on leadership. Both qualitative and quantitative data revealed that the Algerian EFL teachers demonstrate some leadership skills but lack many of the concepts and components of participatory leadership such as cooperation and shared decision making. Although survey findings indicate that students generally consider their teachers as role models, their views and perceptions reveal that teachers tend to maintain control over many of the decisions and dominate in their classrooms. Data from the observation procedure reveal that the most recurrent practice teachers do is lecturing. They exercise direct rather than indirect influence. Interviews revealed that teachers tend to consider themselves as democratic leaders and open to dialogue, the fact that is not always reflected in their behaviours. Undoubtedly, teachers need to develop as leaders and pass on leadership skills to their learners in order to empower them to become autonomous leaders who lead successful and productive lives.