Validation of Teacher Leadership Measurement Model in Secondary Schools

Many studies on teacher leadership have been conducted in the context of the evolving educational paradigm. However, the measurement of teacher leadership has not been fully established in secondary schools in South Korea. In response, this study developed and validated a teacher leadership measurement model specifically in South Korean secondary schools. The participants were 827 teachers from 60 secondary schools located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The study employed a two-stage process. First, exploratory factor analysis was conducted with 413 subjects to create a measurement model. Then, confirmatory factor analysis was performed using the remaining 414 subjects for cross-validation of the model. The final validated teacher leadership measurement model consists of 17 items across four key factors: (a) collaboration-based communication, (b) continuous professional development, (c) participation in school decision-making, and (d) teaching autonomy initiative. Furthermore, multi-group confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the model is perceived similarly by both middle and high school teachers. This study makes a significant contribution by validating a teacher leadership measurement model for the first time for South Korean secondary schools, offering a valuable tool to enhance teacher leadership in this context.