Campus Location

Dallas Campus (Online)

Date of Award

4-2023

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3745-242X

Document Type

Dissertation

Department

Organizational Leadership

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

Julie M. Lane

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

John A. Harrison

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

Rick Breault

Abstract

Teacher voice is missing in systemic change. This PAR study explored some of the barriers in education today that prevent teachers from using their voices and the leadership skills needed to empower teachers to use their voices in change processes. The study was implemented on two secondary school campuses with two teams of PAR researchers. Data were collected using a triangulation of PAR forms, journal reflections, and Likert surveys. While identifying barriers hindering teachers from using their voice, the qualitative study also aimed to provide a platform where teachers could express and use their voice to cause change in their environment. The PAR researchers in this study served as problem posers on the campuses that sought to identify areas where teacher voice would be beneficial in the change that was experienced in real-time and further identified the barriers that prevented teachers from speaking up during the change processes. The researchers then analyzed leadership skills through the LMX lens, focusing on serving leader practices on the campuses. It was determined that leaders also proved to be a barrier for teachers to use their voices. The researcher concluded that while teachers frequently have opportunities to share their voices, they often do not because they have yet to be readied. Readiness is applied to the organization, leaders, and teachers. This study found that teachers would only use their voice if they felt trusted and respected in their roles. While previous studies have shown that culture is a significant determiner of success, this study found that educational organizations lack accountability for the emotion economy that drives their culture and is silencing teacher voices. Change happens, but if educational leaders want to alter the education trajectory today with the current teacher shortages and lack of ability to sustain the current change requirements put on school districts, we must create a culture that empowers teacher v voice and their involvement in the change. PAR makes a good platform for discovery in educational organizations if the culture has been readied.

Comments

Participatory Action Research

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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