The effect of teacher leadership on the development of the leadership capacity of the school: A case study

The aim of this study is to attract the attention of related authorities to the importance of teacher leadership in the development of leadership capacity in schools, and to increase awareness of teacher leaders by determining the views of teachers and administrators regarding teacher leadership. The study is important as it tries to introduce a new conception of teacher leadership which hasn?t been studied enough in our country and contributes to literature in this field by demonstrating the importance of teacher leadership in the development of leadership capacity in schools.The study based on case studies is a qualitative study with embedding multiple case patterns. Qualitative methods were used in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data. Data were analysed through document analysis, metaphor analysis and the analysis of observation forms. Data were coded and relationships between them were established. Themes were organized using NVivo10.0. The study group, consisting of volunteers who could be reached easily, were selected by using sampling method. The study group consisted of three principals of three different Primary and Secondary schools and of 12 voluntary teachers determined by other teachers who filled out a form.The point of views of principals and teacher leaders regarding teacher leadership have been established and it has been found out that teacher leadership contributes to the development of schools. The efforts of principals to improve leadership capacity and problems they face have been established. Efforts of teacher leaders during innovations in schools proves the importance of teacher leadership in the development of schools. Therefore, teacher leadership must be encouraged in schools. Their success must be observed by the Ministry of Education and their career be organized accordingly. However, the common notion among teachers is that the national education system has a rigid structure, preventing teachers from displaying leadership attitudes. Keywords: Teacher leadership, capacity building, leadership capacity building, school improving