Context Matters: Practices and Experiences of Instructional Leaders in Non-Academic Settings

Leadership skills can be refined and cultured through various experiences. However, it is further required that good mindset, right attitude, and openness to new learnings are factors to a successful leadership development. The purpose of this study is to determine contrasting and similar practices and experiences between the two teaching and learning contexts in non-academic settings. In this study, two (2) instructional leaders were interviewed using convenience-purposive sampling. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings revealed that contexts determine the functions of leadership, clients determine the approaches to be implemented, mentorship is valuable during the leadership formation process, and professional development must be in place to influence others and for continuous improvement. The study further recommends that leaders may start building collaborative, harmonious relationships, providing timely feedback and support, and offering mentoring and coaching sessions for employees’ growth and development in the organization.