Abstract

GALLEGO-ARRUFAT, María-Jesús  and  GUTIERREZ-SANTIUSTE, Elba. Instructional and Distributed Leadership in Virtual Communication Spaces in Post-Compulsory Secondary Education. REDIE [online]. 2014, vol.16, n.2, pp.97-118. ISSN 1607-4041.

The research focuses on two aspects of educational leadership in an environment of computer-mediated communication: how teachers develop instructional leadership and how students assume distributed leadership according to the indicators organization, motivation, and content. We performed a content and frequency analysis of the virtual communication between teachers and students in chats, forums, and emails. The study provides empirical confirmation of two aspects of instruction that the teachers develop to promote distributed leadership among the students. The analysis reveals the areas in which leadership is most evident in the virtual communication; these involve organization and contribution to knowledge. We conclude that it is possible to implement an educational structure in online environments that develops leadership skills in students through instructional leadership exercised by professors.

Keywords : Instructional leadership; Distributed leadership; Computer-mediated communication (CMC); Post-compulsory education.