Relational and communicative leadership practices in professional learning: a case study of middle leaders in rural Pakistani high schools

作者：Muhammad Arif, Aneta Ismail, Yixuan Li, Wang Yang · 发表于：Professional Development in Education · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1080/19415257.2025.2593899 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Teacher Education and Leadership Studies、Organizational Learning and Leadership、Critical and Liberation Pedagogy

This study explores how middle leaders use relational and communicative practices to enhance professional learning in resource-constrained high schools in Barkhan District, Balochistan, Pakistan. A qualitative case study was conducted in two public high schools (one boys’, one girls’), guided by a conceptual framework integrating Dialogic Leadership and Social Learning. Data were generated from 20 participants through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations (classrooms and leadership meetings), and document analysis. Analysis followed reflexive thematic procedures. Middle leaders – principals (headmasters), subject coordinators, and senior teachers – cultivated trust, open dialogue, and constructive feedback to establish supportive professional learning communities. These dialogic routines enabled collaboration and reflective practice despite scarce formal professional development. However, persistent resource shortages and entrenched gender norms constrained the depth and consistency of these efforts, producing uneven opportunities for teacher learning across the two schools. The study extends current theory by showing how dialogic, trust-building practices operationalise social learning in rural contexts and by specifying the gendered dynamics that shape middle leadership work in this context – an area underrepresented in the literature. Recommendations include gender-responsive leadership preparation, strengthening peer-learning networks (e.g. structured d...