Can role modelling by school leadership reduce the incidence of unprofessional behaviour by teachers?

Oluwatobiloba Elizabeth Aregbesola
Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Omotayo Adewale Awodiji
University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Education is crucial to shaping attitudes, values, and moral conduct essential for compassionate and responsible societies. The professionalism of teachers must be emphasised in attaining equitable human flourishing, avoiding a focus solely on personal happiness and attaining sustainable and regenerative futures. Thus, our study explores the factors contributing to teachers engaging in unprofessional behaviour. Also, we examine the role of leadership in shaping teachers' professional conduct, and its implications for equitable student flourishing beyond the 21st century. Strategies that can be implemented to address teachers' unprofessional behaviour effectively are identified. An exploratory research design was adopted to understand the phenomenon in a sample of two Nigerian schools. To choose study participants, purposive and snowball sampling approaches were applied. Data obtained through interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed using the atlas.ti software package. Results indicate that absenteeism, battery, yelling, discrimination, breaking school rules, and improper or immoral dressing, among others, are unprofessional behaviours among teachers. We recommend that the school leader must be a role model, adequately monitor staff, offer financial and moral support, and provide training and emotional platforms, for effectiveness.
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Authors: Ms Oluwatobiloba Aregbesola is a professional singer, a dedicated music educator, and an EFL teacher with over ten years of combined experience. She holds a First Class Honours degree in Music from Kenyatta University, Kenya, and a Master of Arts in Leadership in Education from Liverpool John Moores University, UK, where she graduated with distinction, and an Advanced Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2853-574X Email: aregbesolaoe@gmail.com Dr Omotayo Adewale Awodiji (corresponding author) is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Education Leadership and Management, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He holds a PhD, MEd and BEd (UNILORIN) in Educational Management with specialisation in human resource management and leadership development. His research includes professional development, leadership development, teacher education, ICT in education, and leadership. He received a fellowship under the agreement between The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Italy, and COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), in 2016-2017. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0766-4240 Email: tayojss@gmail.com and awodijia@uj.ac.za Please cite as: Aregbesola, O. E. & Awodiji, O. A. (2025). Can role modelling by school leadership reduce the incidence of unprofessional behaviour by teachers? Issues in Educational Research, 35(4), 1327-1351. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/aregbesola.pdf