Date

8-20-2026

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (EdD)

Chair

Alex Oldham

Keywords

collaboration, collaborative leadership, hermeneutics, instructional leadership, leadership styles, phenomenological, socio-culturalism, transformational leadership

Disciplines

Educational Leadership

Abstract

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the lived instructional leadership experiences of urban middle school principals who attempt to cultivate and increase meaningful teacher collaboration at a school district in Northeast Georgia. The theory guiding this study is Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, which describes the work school principals perform to cultivate and increase meaningful teacher collaboration and serves as a blueprint for improving instruction through the collective efforts of educators. The central question of the research is: What are the lived instructional leadership experiences of urban middle school principals who attempt to cultivate and increase meaningful teacher collaboration? The study sampled data from 10 middle school principals. This hermeneutic phenomenological study used qualitative data collection and analysis methods. The data collection process began with conversations with school principals assigned to middle schools in a Northeast Georgia school district. In addition, data were collected from collaborative meetings, principal observations, individual interviews, and protocol writing prompts. Data analysis consisted of organizing, interrogating, and interpreting data to identify patterns and themes, describe relationships, develop explanations, mount critiques, and generate theories. This study adds to the literature addressing school instructional leadership, teacher collaboration, and the sociocultural experiences of educators working to improve their practice.

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