Do primary school teachers in Cypriot schools see themselves as leaders? Echoing practitioners’ voices on levers and barriers

Abstract

The study reported in this article explores the views of primary school teachers in Cyprus in relation to teacher leadership. In particular, the study investigates the perceptions of teachers as to their potential to exhibit leadership functions as formal and/or informal teacher leaders. It is a small‐scale study of five cases located in one urban primary school; the particular school was identified amongst colleagues as one where teachers often exhibit high motivation levels and leadership qualities. The findings show that teachers acknowledge the significance of their professional development in reinforcing and supporting their leadership potential. At the same time they draw attention to the barriers they meet on a daily basis both at school and at a systemic level. The article addresses issues of teacher leadership and teacher professionalism and how these are supported or, in these cases, obstructed by the centralised nature of the education system in Cyprus, outlining possible implications for policy makers and practitioners in terms of teachers and leadership professional development.

Keywords:

• teacher leadership
• teacher professionalism
• self‐empowered teacher leadership
• leadership professional development