Exploring the Perceptions of Team Leaders in Gyeonggi Province Special Education Support Centers: Focusing on In-Depth Field Interviews

This study aims to explore and conceptualize the perceived roles of team leaders in special education support centers, thereby providing foundational data for the institutional clarification and policy development of team leader roles in such centers. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with 12 special education teachers from Gyeonggi Province who had either served as team leaders or worked alongside them. Through qualitative content analysis, this study identified four overarching categories, 10 subcategories, and 36 meaningful units. The roles perceived were categorized as: 1) coordinator of core responsibilities; 2) facilitator of professional growth; 3) collaborative mediator; and (4) organizational relationship manager. The findings indicate that team leaders are not merely administrative practitioners but are recognized as multidimensional leaders who simultaneously perform formal and informal functions. Based on this multilayered perception, the study proposes practical recommendations for redefining and institutionalizing the role of team leaders in special education support centers.