Fostering Preservice and Novice EFL Teacher Leadership Through Collaborative Reflections: A Narrative Phenomenology
Fomento del liderazgo de profesores de inglés en formación y principiantes mediante reflexiones colaborativas: una fenomenología narrativa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v28n1.120456Keywords:
Collaborative reflective practice, EFL teachers, Professional development, Teacher education (en)Desarrollo profesional, Formación docente, Liderazgo educativo, Práctica reflexiva colaborativa, Profesores de inglés como lengua extranjera (es)
This small-scale study investigates how collaborative reflective practice can foster teacher leadership among preservice and novice EFL teachers, while recognizing the benefits and challenges related to this approach. The findings suggest that collaborative reflective practice offers personal, social, and professional benefits, such as enhanced confidence, social support, and developed pedagogical practices. Yet, problems, including time limitations and changing levels of reflective expertise, were identified. This study contributes to the developing body of literature on teacher leadership by emphasizing the role of collaborative reflective practice in enhancing leadership development among EFL teachers.
Este estudio narrativo investiga los beneficios y desafíos asociados a la práctica reflexiva colaborativa y cómo esta puede fomentar el liderazgo entre profesores de inglés en formación y principiantes. Se encontró que la práctica reflexiva colaborativa ofrece beneficios personales, sociales y profesionales, como una mayor confianza, apoyo social y el desarrollo de prácticas pedagógicas. Sin embargo, también se identificaron problemas como limitaciones de tiempo y niveles variables de experiencia reflexiva. Este estudio contribuye a la creciente literatura sobre el liderazgo docente al enfatizar el papel de la práctica reflexiva colaborativa en el desarrollo del liderazgo entre docentes de inglés.
References
Arefian, M. H. (2022a). Collaborative action research as a reflective tool for pre-service EFL teachers’ inclusion. Reflective Practice, 23(6), 651–662. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2022.2103107
Arefian, M. H. (2022b). Perceptions of self-assessment literacy and self-directed reflection during online learning for Iranian EFL student teachers. Reflective Practice, 23(6), 623–634. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2022.2096584
Arefian, M. H. (2023). Motivating teachers to reflect in a professional community of practice through collaborative action research. International Journal of Educational Reform. https://doi.org/10.1177/10567879231217457
Arefian, M. H., & Esfandiari, R. (2024). E-learning-oriented assessment and collaborative reflection for situated learning in language teacher education. Language Testing in Asia, 14, 36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-024-00305-0
Arefian, M. H., & Nami, H. (2025). Action research literacy as a reflective tool for unmonitored Iranian-novice EFL teachers. International Journal of Educational Reform, 34(4), 689–704. https://doi.org/10.1177/10567879231163524
Arefian, M. H., Çomoğlu, I., & Dikilitaş, K. (2024). Understanding EFL teachers’ experiences of ChatGPT-driven collaborative reflective practice through a community of practice lens. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2024.2412769
Arefian, M. H., Esfandiari, R., & Zarei, A. A. (2025). Exploring AI-based collaborative reflective practice in light of ChatGPT: Insights from EFL preservice teachers. Applied Linguistics Inquiry, 3(1), 31–43.
Askarpour, A., Ganji, M., & Hayatolain, S. (2024). A comparative study of the teaching challenges faced by newly-hired and experienced teachers teaching at different age levels. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 16(33), 74–96. https://doi.org/10.22034/elt.2024.60793.2617
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Campbell, T., Wenner, J. A., Brandon, L., & Waszkelewicz, M. (2022). A community of practice model as a theoretical perspective for teacher leadership. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 25(2), 173–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2019.1643500
Chung, E., & Fisher, L. (2022). A dialogic approach to promoting professional development: Understanding change in Hong Kong language teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding vocabulary teaching and learning. System, 110, 102901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102901
Ciampa, K., & Reisboard, D. (2024). Empowering teacher educators: Advancing culturally responsive practices through professional development. Action in Teacher Education, 46(2), 350–371. https://doi.org/10.1080/01626620.2024.2357088
Collins, C. S., & Stockton, C. M. (2018). The central role of theory in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 17(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406918797475
Crawford, R. (2022). Action research as evidence-based practice: Enhancing explicit teaching and learning through critical reflection and collegial peer observation. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 47(12), 53–75. https://doi.org/10.14221/1835-517X.6065
Esfandiari, R., & Arefian, M. H. (2024). Developing collective eyes for Iranian EFL teachers’ computer-assisted language assessment literacy through internet-based collaborative reflection. Education and Information Technologies, 29, 9473–9494. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12201-w
Esfandiari, R., & Arefian, M. H. (2025). Exploring the role of imaginative and creative AI-oriented reflections in English language teachers’ professional development: A complexity theory perspective. Iranian Journal of Applied Language Studies, 17(1), 73–94. https://doi.org/10.22111/ijals.2025.50352.2484
Esfandiari, R., Arefian, M. H., & Lam, R. (2025). Understanding collective and reflective learning-oriented assessment among Iranian EFL pre-service teachers in learner-centered language teacher education. International Journal of Language Testing, 15(1), 91–106. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijlt.2024.460026.1347
Farrell, T. S. C. (2019). Reflective practice in L2 teacher education. In S. Walsh & S. Mann (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of English language teacher education (pp. 38–51). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315659824-5
Freeman, L. (2007). An overview of dispositions in teacher education. In M. E. Diez & J. Raths (Eds.), Dispositions in teacher education (pp. 3–29). Information Age Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-60752-719-020251003
Ghamrawi, N. (2013). Teachers helping teachers: A professional development model that promotes teacher leadership. International Education Studies, 6(4), 171–182. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v6n4p171
Ghamrawi, N., Shal, T., & Ghamrawi, N. A. R. (2024). Cultivating teacher leadership: Evidence from a transformative professional development model. School Leadership & Management, 44(4), 413–441. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2024.2328056
Ghamrawi, N., & Tamim, R. M. (2023). A typology for digital leadership in higher education: The case of a large-scale mobile technology initiative (using tablets). Education and Information Technologies, 28(6), 7089–7110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11483-w
Harris, A. (2011). Distributed leadership: Implications for the role of the principal. Journal of Management Development, 31(1), 7–17. https://doi.org/10.1108/02621711211190961
Harris, A., & Spillane, J. (2008). Distributed leadership through the looking glass. Management in Education, 22(1), 31–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/0892020607085623
Hennessy, S., & Davies, M. (2020). Teacher professional development to support classroom dialogue: Challenges and promises. In N. Mercer, R. Wegerif, & L. Major (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of research on dialogic education (pp. 238–253). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429441677-21
Hockey, J., & Forsey, M. (2020). Ethnography is not participant observation: Reflections on the interview as participatory qualitative research. In J. Skinner (Ed.), The interview: An ethnographic approach (pp. 69–87). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003087014-4
Karlberg-Granlund, G., & Pastuhov, A. (2024). Being, becoming and sustaining: Learning professional learning in teacher education. Professional Development in Education, 50(2), 372–385. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2023.2291360
Keramati, A., Keramati, M. R., & Arefian, M. H. (2024). Students’ reflection on the effect of collaborative learning on the learning environment and academic achievement in online reflective platforms. Reflective Practice, 25(2), 117–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2024.2305868
Klenke, K. (2016). Qualitative research in the study of leadership (2nd ed.). Emerald Group Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/9781785606502
Kolb, D. A., Boyatzis, R. E., & Mainemelis, C. (2014). Experiential learning theory: Previous research and new directions. In R. J. Sternberg & L.-F. Zhang (Eds.), Perspectives on thinking, learning, and cognitive styles (pp. 227–247). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410605986-9
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815355
Lee, I. (2007). Preparing pre-service English teachers for reflective practice. ELT Journal, 61(4), 321–329. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccm022
MacLeod, L. (2020). Shaping professional development of educators: The role of school leaders. In M. A. White & F. McCallum (Eds.), Critical perspectives on teaching, learning and leadership: Enhancing educational outcomes (pp. 189–217). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6667-7_10
Meyer, A., Kleinknecht, M., & Richter, D. (2023). What makes online professional development effective? The effect of quality characteristics on teachers’ satisfaction and changes in their professional practices. Computers & Education, 200, 104805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104805
Nassaji, H. (2020). Good qualitative research. Language Teaching Research, 24(4), 427–431. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820941288
Reeves, T. D., & Lowenhaupt, R. J. (2016). Teachers as leaders: Pre-service teachers’ aspirations and motivations. Teaching and Teacher Education, 57, 176–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.03.011
Shen, J. (2023). The theory of bifurcated educational system and its implications for school improvement. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 26(2), 223–243. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2020.1808708
Shen, J., Wu, H., Reeves, P., Zheng, Y., Ryan, L., & Anderson, D. (2020). The association between teacher leadership and student achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 31, 100357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100357
Takahashi, S. (2011). Co-constructing efficacy: A “communities of practice” perspective on teachers’ efficacy beliefs. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(4), 732–741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.12.002
Taylor, M., Yates, A., Meyer, L. H., & Kinsella, P. (2011). Teacher professional leadership in support of teacher professional development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(1), 85–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.07.005
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning as a social system. The Systems Thinker, 9(5), 1–5.
Whitehead, G. E. K., & Greenier, V. T. (2019). Beyond good teaching practices: Language teacher leadership from the learners’ perspective. TESOL Quarterly, 53(4), 960–985. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.526
Wiles, R. (2012). What are qualitative research ethics? Bloomsbury Academic. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781849666558
Yagata, K. (2017). A failure of dialogue? A critical reflection on a discussion between a teacher trainer and a pre-service second-language teacher. Reflective Practice, 18(3), 326–338. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2016.1277342
York-Barr, J., & Duke, K. (2004). What do we know about teacher leadership? Findings from two decades of scholarship. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 255–316. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074003255
How to Cite
APA
ACM
ACS
ABNT
Chicago
Harvard
IEEE
MLA
Turabian
Vancouver
Download Citation
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Alireza Karbalaei and Mohammad Hossein Arefian

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
You are authorized to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format as long as you give appropriate credit to the authors of the articles and to Profile: Issues in Teachers' Professional Development as original source of publication. The use of the material for commercial purposes is not allowed. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
Authors retain the intellectual property of their manuscripts with the following restriction: first publication is granted to Profile: Issues in Teachers' Professional Development.






























