Transformative Instructional Leadership: Teachers' Lived Experiences in Advancing School Improvement at Balintocatoc Integrated School

Authors

  • Robelyn Aguinaldo Northeastern College Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64358/a019ts63

Keywords:

instructional leadership, transformative leadership, school improvement

Abstract

Instructional leadership has become one of the most influential dimensions of school leadership in improving educational quality, teacher effectiveness, and student achievement. In the context of continuous educational reforms, school leaders are increasingly expected to foster collaborative cultures, promote professional growth, and implement evidence-based instructional practices that lead to sustainable school improvement. Despite numerous quantitative investigations examining the relationship between instructional leadership and organizational performance, limited qualitative studies have explored how teachers personally experience transformative instructional leadership within their daily professional practice. This study explored the lived experiences of teachers regarding transformative instructional leadership in advancing school improvement at Balintocatoc Integrated School. Employing a transcendental phenomenological research design, twelve (12) purposively selected teachers participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's Seven-Step Phenomenological Method. The findings revealed that transformative instructional leadership extends beyond instructional supervision by creating an empowering environment characterized by trust, collaboration, continuous professional learning, innovation, and shared accountability. The study recommends strengthening instructional leadership development programs, collaborative professional learning communities, teacher empowerment initiatives, and sustainable school improvement frameworks that support educational excellence.

References

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.

Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. Sage Publications.

Colaizzi, P. F. (1978). Psychological research as the phenomenologist views it. In R. Valle & M. King (Eds.), Existential-Phenomenological Alternatives for Psychology (pp. 48–71). Oxford University Press.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.

Day, C., Gu, Q., & Sammons, P. (2021). Successful school leadership and educational improvement: Contemporary perspectives. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49(4), 555–573.

Department of Education. (2022). Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PPSSH). Department of Education, Republic of the Philippines.

Department of Education. (2023). Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST). Department of Education, Republic of the Philippines.

Department of Education. (2023). Basic Education Development Plan (BEDP) 2030. Department of Education, Republic of the Philippines.

Department of Education. (2024). MATATAG Curriculum and Agenda. Department of Education, Republic of the Philippines.

DuFour, R., & Fullan, M. (2018). Cultures built to last: Systemic PLCs at work. Solution Tree Press.

Hallinger, P. (2022). Instructional leadership and school improvement: Contemporary perspectives and future directions. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 50(2), 189–205.

Knight, J. (2018). The impact cycle: What instructional coaches should do to foster powerful improvements in teaching. Corwin Press.

Leithwood, K., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2020). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited. School Leadership & Management, 40(1), 5–22.

Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.

Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Sage Publications.

Philippine Health Research Ethics Board. (2022). National Ethical Guidelines for Health and Health-Related Research. Department of Science and Technology–Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.

Robinson, V. M. J., Lloyd, C., & Rowe, K. (2020). The impact of leadership on student outcomes: An updated analysis. Educational Administration Quarterly, 56(3), 394–429.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101860.

Saunders, B., Sim, J., Kingstone, T., Baker, S., Waterfield, J., Bartlam, B., Burroughs, H., & Jinks, C. (2018). Saturation in qualitative research: Exploring its conceptualization and operationalization. Quality & Quantity, 52(4), 1893–1907.

Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.

Spillane, J. P. (2006). Distributed leadership. Jossey-Bass.

Downloads

Published

2026-08-30

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 3 (2026): International Journal of Education, Literacies and Curriculum Studies

Section

Articles