Distributed leadership and innovative teaching practices

Abstract

The primary aim of this research was to understand the relationship between distributed leadership and teachers’ use of innovative teaching practices. Innovative practices such as increasing cognitive activation and enhanced curricular activities have shown to have significant positive effects on student outcomes (Le Donné et al., 2016). Based on internationally representative samples including 7,436 lower secondary school principals and 117,876 teachers from 34 countries surveyed in the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013 data, this study analyzed the effect of distributed leadership on teachers’ use of these innovative teaching practices. The findings demonstrate that distributed leadership has a significant and positive impact on teachers’ use of innovative teaching practices. Conclusions, limitations, and recommendations for further research are discussed.

Keywords

• Distributed leadership
• Innovative teaching practices
• Future-ready students
• 21st century skills
• Multilevel structural equation modeling