Although this question was answered using the TLI in the quantitative phase, the variables did not have significant results, which was inconsistent with previous studies (Stone, Horejs and Lomas, 1997; York-Barr and Duke, 2004; Angelle and DeHart, 2011; Grenda and Hackmann, 2014; Kale and Özdelen, 2014; Gülbahar, 2017). Therefore, I added a question to the qualitative phase to explore this inconsistency in depth. To explain the results, I asked the interviewees whether they thought teacher leadership practices differed according to school level, qualifications and gender.
School level
Remarkably, the majority of interviewees said there was a difference between teacher leadership practices in primary and other levels. Here, I quote three interviewees:
‘Teachers from different levels have the same training, meetings and MoE sessions, we speak about the same things, but it does not relate to what we do in actual work’. ‘Although the MoE sends memos with unified leadership tasks for all schools in all levels, there are needs for teachers and students in each level that are different from the others’.
‘Primary teachers need to plan collaboratively more than secondary teachers; the content of the curriculum and types of assessment are different and cannot be the same responsibilities’.
During the reform, any teacher could teach at any level, even if he/she did not have a teaching degree, while, at the time of writing, the MoE strictly regulates teacher hiring and transfer between school levels. Nevertheless, teachers of different subjects and school levels attend the same training models, which might lead to
misconceptions about tasks and requirements.
Many interviewees brought up the fact that in Qatar teachers could change schools and teach different levels, so the main tasks were the same. That might have led to having the same practices at all levels in general. Interestingly, all teachers who had worked at multiple levels assured me that there were differences, as the students vary
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in age and educational needs. The rest of the interviewees’ answers varied between ‘sometimes’, ‘I don’t know’ and ‘no, there was no difference’ between teachers’ practices at each school level (see Table 47).
Table 47: Differences in Teachers’ Tasks/Practices Among School Levels According to
Interviewees Total I Don’t Know Yes No Sometimes School Name 15 1 13 1 A 9 5 3 1 B 6 6 C 13 1 7 4 1 D 2 2 E 11 5 6 F 14 11 1 2 G 8 8 H 78 7 58 8 5 Total 18 Missing data
Age and years of experience
In regard to age and length of teaching experience, interviewees held different
opinions. Some differentiated between age and experience, while others said age was just a number. The majority highlighted that experience was the most important factor. Many said that it depended on the teacher’s personality and whether they were able to utilise their experience.
‘We may have a teacher who is 60 years old and she is keen to learn and develop her skills, and you may have a 35-year-old who is reluctant to change and lives in the past’.
Demographic information about interviewees was presented in Table 42, showing that female teachers were mostly 20–40 years old, while male teachers were mostly 40–60 years old. Six male interviewees had been given exceptions to continue working in Qatar (teachers are required by law to retire at age 60) because of their experience and performance and the lack of qualified male teachers in the country. This alone could indicate the importance of years of experience and age in Qatar.
132 Qualifications
On the subject of qualifications, many teachers did not have a teaching certificate. As I explained in the background chapter, many Arab countries allow graduates from different major subjects to work as teachers despite not having a degree or certificate in education. All of them emphasised the importance of educational background and knowledge.
Gender
Regarding whether gender affected teacher leadership practices, 55 of the 96
interviewees agreed that it did, 9 stated that it did not and 32 said that it depended on the individual, not the gender. Interviewees who agreed mentioned some of the main differences between female and male teachers:
Female teachers’ comments
‘Female teachers apply the rules literally. They are very specific’.
‘Being a female means you are not allowed to participate in many activities unless your family allows you. Those activities may be in Doha/local or international’. ‘It might be hard for female teachers to stay after working hours as we have families’.
Male teachers’ comments
‘Male teachers run things smoothly and do not focus on details’.
‘Female teachers keep better documentation and better teaching strategies because they take care of details’.
Interviewees’ comments showed that female teachers tended to pay closer attention to details and follow rules. When I asked for examples, many cited almost the same example:
‘Female subject coordinators will not allow you to grade papers at home or finish your work and leave, while we know that working conditions at the boys’ school are more flexible’.
Regarding keeping a better documentation system, the male interviewees stated that female teachers beautify their files and classrooms alike, and like to keep meticulous records of everything, but men just want to provide details of what they have
achieved.
It is noteworthy that some interviewees argued that these differences do not indicate that being female or male is better or worse in this respect. However, their
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acknowledgement that differences existed highlights that these differences need to be recognised and accommodated.