Ethical leadership role and behaviors of teachers in the context of effective classroom management

Abstract

This research is a qualitative study carried out for determining the views of teachers carrying on their duties in elementary and secondary education institutions towards the effect of ethical leadership behaviours upon classroom management. The data related to the research was collected through the interviews with the teachers who participated into the research in a period from October 2019 to October 2020 in Turkey. It was noticed that definitions of the teachers who participated into the research related to teacher leadership were shaped in accordance with their personal attitudes and traits. The participants mostly defined teacher leadership as being a role model and orienting the students. Namely, the participants considered that teacher leadership in classroom should be there for being a guide for the students and orienting them, and teachers should present model behaviours. The teachers who participated into the research also considered that teacher leadership in the classroom should be ethical. The participants especially emphasized that this leadership should have an ethical property related to mutual role balance, leadership shared with the students in the classroom, democratic attitude and respect to individuals. When teachers’ ways of using their leadership roles in the classroom were analyzed, it was noticed that the teachers mostly presented behaviours for orientation, and focused mostly on student-cantered educational activities. The ethical behaviours participant teachers used mostly in classroom management were concluded to be behaving equally to the students, determining and practicing the classroom rules together, and regarding the individual differences.