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This study explored and provided insights into the transformational leadership in selected schools in Malaysia. Qualitative approach specifically, Case Study was employed as it is an extensive, holistic description and analysis of a phenomenon. The study was guided by three research questions: 1) What constitutes transformational leadership? 2) How does transformational leadership get constructed? 3) What are the impacts of transformational leadership? The respondents were purposively selected based on three criteria: i) the respondents were of transformational leaders; ii) they had done transforming or reshaping the schools; iii) they have been principals at schools for at least five years. In-depth interviews were used to gather information from respondents who were interviewed. A total of five interviews were conducted. The interviews were conducted with a mixture of both Bahasa Malaysia and English, as these teacher leaders commonly speak a mixture of languages. The interviews were recorded using a mini cassette recorder and a total five of ninety minutes tapes were used. Each interview lasted between forty-five minutes to one and a half hour. These in-depth interviews provided the researcher with 'real-life" experiences of these respondents in achieving a more authentic data. The trustworthiness of the study was ensured through triangulation, namely member check, peer examination and a documentation of an audit trail. The findings suggested that the dominant characteristics of transformational leadership amongst the teacher leaders are risk taking, visionary and value driven. The findings also revealed that transformational leaders played significant role in empowering followers and had the desire for learning. Both the dominant characteristic and the roles that they played had put them forefront in improving schools. Three major conclusions were drawn from the study. First, significant relationships exist between aspects of transformational leadership and teachers' own reports of changes in both attitudes toward school improvement and altered instructional behavior. Second, transformational leaders as its principal had shown remarkably improvement in a conducive and successful environment. Third, understand transformational leadership enhances school-community relations. The study has provided valuable information to stakeholders to link educational practice and national development. |
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