University Teachers' Leadership: Deconstruction of Connotation and Development Path

Siyuan Guo

doi:10.70088/fhk91q61

Authors

Siyuan Guo Hainan Vocational University of Science and Technology, Haikou, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70088/fhk91q61

Keywords:

teacher leadership, university teachers, higher education governance, connotative development, vocational education, professional development, organizational culture

Abstract

As higher education enters a new stage of high-quality, connotative development, teacher leadership has become a key mechanism for activating the internal driving forces of universities and overcoming the bottlenecks of traditional administrative governance. This issue is particularly salient for vocational colleges, which must simultaneously improve educational quality and highlight distinctive institutional characteristics. University teacher leadership differs fundamentally from conventional administrative leadership; it is an endogenous, egalitarian and constructive influence generated by teachers through professional authority, practical competence and other forms of professional power, complemented by non-power factors such as personal charisma, peer trust and shared values. Conceptually, teacher leadership encompasses three core dimensions: self-leadership, professional skills leadership and interpersonal relationship leadership. Drawing on domestic and international research on educational leadership, this paper deconstructs the connotation and structural system of university teacher leadership, and, in light of the operational realities of higher education institutions, proposes systematic cultivation paths. It further analyzes the practical value of teacher leadership in stimulating teachers’ potential, shaping a shared organizational culture, optimizing faculty structures and promoting the transformation of university governance from administrative control to collaborative professionalism. The study argues that the development of teacher leadership is a complex, systemic project requiring coordinated efforts from government, universities, academic teams and individual teachers. Through conceptual innovation, capacity enhancement and ecological optimization, teacher leadership can be effectively activated to support the connotative, high-quality development of higher education.

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