Silent Leadership: A Phenomenological Study of Teacher-Coordinators’ Contributions to Effective School Administration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65339/ijsis.V1.I1.10Keywords:
Adaptive Leadership, Coordinatorship, Educational Leadership, Emotional Labor, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Lived Experiences, Resilience, Silent Leadership, Supervisory DutiesAbstract
This study explored the lived experiences of coordinators at Manicahan National High School, focusing on silent leadership in relation to supervisory duties, teaching responsibilities, dispute management, leadership challenges, coping strategies, and policy implementation. Silent leadership was conceptualized through relational, reflective, empathetic, and context-responsive practices, informed by transformational, servant, distributed, and adaptive leadership perspectives. The study employed a qualitative phenomenological design using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Six coordinators were purposively selected, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews supported by field notes. Findings revealed that coordinators experienced silent leadership as transformative, relational, adaptive, and emotionally demanding. They balanced teaching and supervisory responsibilities through organization, prioritization, communication, flexibility, and role integration; managed disputes through empathy, fairness, active listening, and emotional regulation; and encountered mental fatigue, emotional pressure, role overload, and hidden emotional labor. Collaboration, mentoring, reflection, and collegial support strengthened their resilience. The study concludes that silent leadership is an essential yet often underrecognized form of educational leadership sustained through quiet influence, relational trust, service, resilience, and collaboration. It recommends clearer leadership roles, appropriate workload distribution, administrative assistance, leadership development, mentoring, and emotional well-being support. The study aligns with SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). Its sustainability impact centers on strengthening educational leadership, professional well-being, workforce conditions, and responsive institutional governance.
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