Teacher leadership behaviors and proactive influence tactics in North Carolina public schools

This study examined teacher leadership behaviors and proactive influence tactics used among interactions of teachers in North Carolina schools. All teachers are now required to demonstrate leadership in the classroom, in the school, and in the teaching profession (North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards, 2008). Since teachers hold no formal authority over one another, teachers use a variety of influence tactics to lead peers. The conceptual framework for this study used a blend of Spillane, Halverson, and Diamond’s theory of distributed leadership, Yukl’s identification of 11 proactive influence tactics, teacher leadership behaviors aligned with the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards, and North Carolina Standards for School Executives. This framework provided insight into how teachers lead when teachers are both leaders and followers. This study answered five research questions: 1. What leadership behaviors do teachers enact in formal and informal situations? 2. What behavioral influence tactics do teachers perceive are used on them? 3. What behavioral influence tactics do teachers use? 4. What patterns of influence among teachers are associated with teacher leadership behaviors in formal and informal situations? 5. How does principal support influence teacher leadership? This study used a correlational, cross-sectional research design. The sample consisted of classroom teachers in seven school districts across the state (N = 493). A Teacher Leadership Behavior Questionnaire was used to explore specific teacher leadership behaviors and the target and agent versions of Yukl’s Influence Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) were used to measure behavioral influence tactics used among teachers. Teacher leadership behaviors were categorized into six different groups based on situation: informal classroom, formal classroom, informal school, formal school, informal profession, and formal profession. Creating and maintaining a safe and supportive classroom environment had the highest percentage of high-frequency behavior. Conversely, few respondents said they very often develop policies or lead professional development outside of their school. The proactive influence tactic respondents reported being used most frequently on them as targets was facts and logic to make a persuasive case for a request or proposal. Proactive influence tactics that used pressure were reportedly used the least often on respondents. Demanding to carry out a request was the behavior with the lowest percentage of frequency. Similarly, as agents of influence, the most frequently used proactive influence tactic respondents reported using was facts and logic to make a persuasive case for a request or proposal. Very few respondents reported frequent use of pressure tactics or demanding a colleague carry out a request. There was a statistically significant association between pressure tactics and formal school and formal profession leadership. Agent non-pressure tactics and target 10 non-pressure tactics were both statistically significantly and positively associated with informal school, formal school, informal profession, and formal profession situations. Principal support was statistically significantly associated with teacher leadership. In all six situations of teacher leadership behavior, the means were higher when principal support was higher. Findings indicate it is incumbent upon the North Carolina State Board of Education, local school districts, principals, and teachers themselves, to develop leadership skills among teachers. In addition, if the use and acceptance of pressure tactics when leading in education increased, North Carolina public schools may experience an increase in the number of teachers leading in our schools and profession.