Navigating Global Leadership Models: Empowering Sri Lankan Teachers as Transformative Leaders in Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12724/ajss.74.4Keywords:
Global Leadership Models, Sri Lanka, Teachers, Transformative Leaders, EducationAbstract
The research seeks to adapt global leadership models and determine how to apply them in secondary schools in Sri Lanka
to empower teachers to become transformative leaders. The secondary objective is to examine global leadership theories
and how they can be integrated into the socio-cultural context of secondary school teachers, which will increase teacher
leadership and improve student achievement. The research addresses the question: How can global leadership theories be modified for the socio-cultural setting of secondary teachers in Sri Lanka to scale up leadership and student outcomes? The study adopts an advanced literature review methodology, which includes an analysis of various international and local studies on leadership, teacher mentorship, and appropriate conceptual frameworks, with special focus on the Sri Lankan context of education. The paper highlights secondary school teachers who are influenced by the diverse tasks due to the local social and cultural norms. It considers the teachers’ duties in enhancing instructional practices, fostering cooperation, and driving sustainable school reforms, as well as the challenges related to inflexible structures, scarce professional growth opportunities, and poor collaboration. Findings emphasise the importance of contextualised leadership frameworks that facilitate change in education, increase teacher participation, and improve student
outcomes. The study suggests further empirical testing of the proposed model in diverse secondary school settings in Sri
Lanka to assess its practical applicability and effectiveness.
References
Adams, C. M., Adigun, O., Fiegener, A. M., & Olsen, J. J. (2022b). Transformative Leadership Conversation: Toward a Conceptualisation and Theory of Action for Educational Leaders. Journal of Transformative Education, 21(3), 409–426. https://doi.org/10.1177/15413446221108404
Alawattegam, K. K. (2020). Free Education Policy and its Emerging Challenges in Sri Lanka. European Journal of Educational Sciences, 07(01). https://doi.org/10.19044/ejes.v7no1a1
Alessa, G. S. (2021). The Dimensions of Transformational Leadership and its organisational Effects in Public Universities in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389 /fpsyg.2021.68 2092
Amanchukwu, R.N., Stanley, G.J., & Ololube, N. (2015). A Review of Leadership Theories, Principles and Styles and Their Relevance to Educational Management. Management Science, 5, 6–14. http://doi:10.5923/j.mm.20150501.02
Arnold, K. A. (2017). Transformational leadership and employee psychological well-being: A review and directions for future research. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 381–393. https://doi.org/ 10.1037/ocp0000062
Aturupane, H., & Wikramanayake, D. (2011). The promotion of social cohesion through education in Sri Lanka. In International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank eBooks (pp. 1–41). https:// doi.org/10.11588/xarep.00003476
Aturupane, H., Glewwe, P., Utsumi, T., Wisniewski, S., & Shojo, M. (2022). The impact of Sri Lanka’s school-based management programme on teachers’ pedagogical practices and student learning: evidence from a randomised controlled trial. Journal of Development Effectiveness, 14(4), 285–305. https://doi.org/10.1080/19439342.2022.2029540
Azeredo, R., & Henriqson, E. (2022). Identifying conceptual incongruences within global leadership competency models. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 23(1), 113–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/14 705958221130873
Bass, B. M., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, character, and authentic transformational leadership behavior. The Leadership Quarterly, 10(2), 181–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1048-9843(99)00016-8
Bishri, R. (2023). Student-centered Learning Approaches in The State Universities of Sri Lanka: Exploring Socio-cultural Impacts through A Conceptual Analysis. Colombo Journal of Multi-Disciplinary Research, 8(1–2), 75–99. https://doi.org/10.4038/cjmr.v8i1-2.76
Bohari, A., Wider, W., Udang, L. N., Jiang, L., Tanucan, J. C. M., & Lajuma, S. (2024b). Transformational leadership’s role in shaping Education 4.0 within higher education. Journal of Infrastructure Policy and Development, 8(8), 4900. https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd.v8i8.4900
Brazill, S., & Ruff, W. (2022). Using transformational leadership to create brave space in teaching multicultural education. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 24(2), 114–131. https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme. v24 i2.2847
Carrington, S., Park, E., McKay, L., Saggers, B., Harper-Hill, K., & Somerw il, T. (2024b). Evidence of transformative leadership for inclusive practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 141, 104466. https://doi.org
1016/j.tate. 2023.104466
De Klerk, E. D., & Smith, N. (2021). Transformative Intervention Strategies for teacher Leaders during the Pandemic and beyond. International Journal of Learning Teaching and Educational Research, 20(9), 52–67. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.20.9.4
Deng, C., Gulseren, D., Isola, C., Grocutt, K., & Turner, N. (2022). Transformational leadership effectiveness: an evidence-based primer. Human Resource Development International, 26(5), 627–641. https://doi. org/10.1080/13678868.2022.2135938
Deshwal, V., & Ali, M. A. (2020). A systematic review of various leadership theories. Shanlax International Journal of Commerce, 8(1), 38–43. https://doi.org/10.34293/commerce.v8i1.916
Eaton, L., Bridgman, T., & Cummings, S. (2024). Advancing the democratization of work: A new intellectual history of transformation al leadership theory. Leadership, 20(3), 125–143. https:// https://doi.org/10.1177/17427150241232705
Esenyel, V. (2024). Evolving Leadership Theories: Integrating contemporary theories for VUCA realities. Administrative Sciences, 14(11), 270. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14110270
Fernandez-Chung, R. M., & De Zoysa, S. M. (2021). Staying positive among negativities: strategies employed by teachers in Sri Lankan state universities to manage their wellbeing. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 14(4), 1524–1535. https://doi.org/10.1108/jarhe-07-2021-0254
Fernando, L. S., Kularathna, E. A. I., & Kumarasinghe, I. D. C. D. (2024). Impact of effective leadership style on school performance: with reference to Central Colleges in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences, 46(02), 159–176. https://doi.org/10.403 8/sljss.v46i02.8765
Fourie, W., & Höhne, F. (2017). Thou shalt not fail? Using theological impulses to critique the heroic bias in transformational leadership theory. Leadership, 15(1), 44–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/17427150177 30453
Fry, L., & Egel, E. (2021). Global Leadership for Sustainability. Sustainability, 13(11), 6360. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116360
Gümüş, S., Arar, K., & Oplatka, I. (2020). Review of international research on school leadership for social justice, equity and diversity. Journal of Educational Administration & History, 53(1), 81–99. https://doi.org/10. 1080/00220620.2020.1862767
Gumus, S., Bellibas, M. S., Esen, M., & Gumus, E. (2016). A systematic review of studies on leadership models in educational research from 1980 to 2014. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 46(1), 25–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143216659296
Harris, A. (2005). Leading from the Chalk-face: An Overview of School Leadership. Leadership, 1(1), 73–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/174271 5005 049352
Herath, S. (2023). Reconciliation or the Reproduction of the Status Quo? Teacher Experiences from Postwar Sri Lanka. Peace Review, 35(1), 130–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2023.2178255
Hilmy, M., & Miftahusurur, I. (2024). Transformational Leadership: a Systematic review. International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, 5(6), 5896–5898. https://doi.org/10.55248/gengpi.5.0624.1613
Hummel, S., Aldrian, S., & Sheehan, B. (2024). Culture, Education and Digital Transformation in Sri Lanka. In Doing higher education (pp. 9–29). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-43306-2_2
Humphreys, J. H., & Einstein, W. O. (2003). Nothing new under the sun: transformational leadership from a historical perspective. Management Decision, 41(1), 85–95. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740310452934
Irangani, B., Liu, Z., Kumar, N., & Khanal, S. (2021). Effect of competitive psychological climate on unethical pro-team behavior: The role of perceived insider status and transformational leadership. Management, 25(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.2478/manment-2019-0057
Kareem, J., Patrick, H. A., Prabakaran, N., B V., Tantia, V., M P. K. M. P., & Mukherjee, U. (2023). Transformational educational leaders inspire school educators’ commitment. Frontiers in Education, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389 /feduc.2023.1171513
Karunanayaka, S. P., & Weerakoon, W. (2020). Fostering Digital Education among Teachers and Learners in Sri Lankan Schools. Journal of Learning for Development, 7(1), 61–77. https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v7i1.390
Karunaweera, A. S., & Lee, K. W. (2021). Measuring Digital competence: An exploratory study mapping digital competence profiles of Sri Lankan English language teachers. Asia Pacific Journal of Educators and Education, 36(1), 93–112. https://doi.org/10.21315/apjee2021.36.1.6
Kerkhoff, S. N., & Cloud, M. E. (2020). Equipping teachers with globally competent practices: A mixed methods study on integrating global competence and teacher education. International Journal of Educational Research, 103, 101629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101629
Khan, Z. A., Bhat, S. J., & Hussanie, I. (2017). Understanding Leadership Theories-A Review for Researchers. Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, 7(5), 249. https://doi.org/10.5958/2249-7315.2017.00313.6
Ladkin, D., & Patrick, C. B. (2022). Whiteness in leadership theorizing: A critical analysis of race in Bass’ transformational leadership theory. Leadership, 18(2), 205–223. https://doi.org/10.1177/17427150211066442
Li, Y. (2020). A review of empirical research on transformational school leadership in China (2010–2019). ECNU Review of Education, 5(1), 156–184. https://doi.org/10.1177/2096531120942242
Little, A. W., Shojo, M., Sonnadara, U., & Aturupane, H. (2018). Teaching English as a second language in Sri Lankan primary schools: opportunity and pedagogy. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 32(2), 113–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2018.1532437
Liu, K., & Ball, A. F. (2019). Critical Reflection and generativity: toward a framework of transformative teacher education for diverse learners. Review of Research in Education, 43(1), 68–105. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732x18822806
Liyanage, I. K. (2013). Education System of Sri Lanka: Strengths and Weaknesses. (pp. 116–140). Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization. http://www.ide.go.jp/library/Japanese
Publish/Reports/InterimReport/2013/pdf/C02_ch7
Marcy, R. T. (2023). Reflections on gaps in public sector leadership development theory. International Journal of Public Leadership, 19(4), 261–275. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijpl-02-2023-0009
Melanie, K.S., & Vilmos, V. (2019). Towards creative transformational leadership in higher education: Challenges and opportunities. Zbornik Instituta Za Pedagoska Istrazivanja, 51, 238-284.
Morton, K. L., Sylvester, B. D., Wilson, A. J., Lonsdale, C., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2015). Transformational leadership. In Routledge eBooks. https://doi.org/ 10.4324/9781315880198.ch37
Nanjundeswaraswamy, T. S., Swamy, D. R., & Nagesh, P. (2020). MAPPING OF ORGANIZATIONAL MODELS IN PORTUGUESE COMPANIES. International Journal for Quality Research, 14(2), 387–412. https://doi.org/ 10.24874/ijqr14.02-04
Pantić, N., & Wubbels, T. (2012). The role of teachers in inculcating moral values: operationalisation of concepts. Journal of Beliefs and Values, 33(1), 55–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/13617672.2012.650030
Peiris, D. L. I. H. K., Duan, Y., Vandelanotte, C., Liang, W., & Baker, J. S. (2023). Identifying opportunity, capability and motivation of Sri Lankan 5th grade schoolteachers to implement in-classroom physical activity breaks: A qualitative study. PLoS ONE, 18(7), e0288916. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0288916
Rathnayake, R., & Jayasinghe, R. (2024). Educating the mind: Buddhist Spiritual Practices in Schools, Policy options for Sri Lankan context. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, VIII(VII), 89–99. https://doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2024.807007
Rifai, S. L. (2021). Some challenges in Sri Lankan Muslim education today. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3809244
Samarajeewa, N. C., & Mohammed, N. L. A. (2025). Obstacles in second language acquisition: Linguistic, psychological, social, cultural, and pedagogical challenges with a focus on secondary ESL Education in Sri Lanka. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 25(1), 087–094. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2025.25.1.3582
Sathiyaseelan, S. (2021). Transformational leaders in higher education administration: understanding their profile through phenomenology. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 43(4), 1091–1106. https://doi.org/10.1080/0218 8791.2021.1987185
Schmitt, A., Hartog, D. N. D., & Belschak, F. D. (2016). Transformational leadership and proactive work behaviour: A moderated mediation model including work engagement and job strain. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 89(3), 588–610. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12 143
Siangchokyoo, N., Klinger, R. L., & Campion, E. D. (2019). Follower transformation as the linchpin of transformational leadership theory: A systematic review and future research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 31(1), 101341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2019.101341
Smith, M., & Vass, V. (2019). Towards creative transformational leadership in higher education: Challenges and opportunities. Zbornik Instituta Za Pedagoska Istrazivanja, 51(1), 238–284. https://doi.org/10.2 298/zipi1901238 s
Spillane, J. P. (2005). Distributed leadership. The Educational Forum, 69(2), 143–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131720508984678
Taqwiem, A., Arpianto, Y., Faradina, L. L., & Susanti, P. A. (2024). Cross-Cultural leadership Models in Global Education Systems Implications for policy and practice. International Journal of Religion, 5(11), 7343–7353. https://doi.org/10.61707/1zwc2a56
Toprak, M. (2020). Leadership in educational. International Journal of Educational Administration Management and Leadership, 85–96. https://doi.org/10.51629/ijeamal.v1i2.10
Turner, J. R., Baker, R., Schroeder, J., Johnson, K. R., & Chung, C. (2018). The global leadership capacity wheel. European Journal of Training and Development, 43(1/2), 105–131. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejtd-07-2018-0061
Turnnidge, J., & Côté, J. (2016). Applying transformational leadership theory to coaching research in youth sport: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 16(3), 327–342. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197x.2016.1189948
Weerapperuma, J., Nawinna, D., & Gamage, N. (2024). Digital learning Challenges in Tertiary education in Sri Lanka: A Social Capital perspective. IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems, 11(3), 3311–3328. https://doi.org/10.1109/tcss.2023.3306571
Wempe, B. (2022). Models of Leadership in Plato and Beyond, by Dominic Scott and R. Edward Freeman. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021. 225 pp. Business Ethics Quarterly, 32(3), 506–509. https://doi.org/10.10 17/beq. 2022.13
Wijesekera, H. D., Alford, J., & Mu, M. G. (2018). Forging inclusive practi-ce in ethnically-segregated school systems: lessons from one multiet- hnic, bilingual education classroom in Sri Lanka. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 23(1), 23–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2018.1514730
Zehndorfer, E. (2013). Leadership. In Routledge eBooks. https://doi.org/10.432 4/9781315871448
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Artha Journal of Social Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
