Teacher Leadership in Multigrade Rural Contexts: A Case Study in Luz de América
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29076/issn.2528-7737vol19iss51.2026pp111-120pKeywords:
teacher leadership, rural education, one-teacher schools, multigrade classrooms, educational leadership, underserved communitiesAbstract
The purpose of this article is to analyze how teacher leadership is exercised in rural single-teacher schools, based on a case study conducted at the “Dr. Héctor Abelardo Reyes Rosero” Basic Education School, located in Luz de América Parish, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province, Ecuador. The study adopts a qualitative approach in which the school's teacher serves as the central figure, performing both administrative and instructional duties across grades one through seven of General Basic Education. Data collection is carried out through direct observation and semi-structured interviews to identify the challenges she faces in leading pedagogical processes, managing limited resources, and addressing the educational needs of a socioeconomically vulnerable community. The findings highlight how the teacher develops and implements leadership strategies adapted to the rural multigrade context. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of educational management in rural settings by shedding light on the realities of single-teacher schools and emphasizing their critical role in ensuring the right to education and promoting local development
Downloads
References
Burgos-Briones, J. G., Burgos-López, G. A., & Cedeño-Martínez, D. G. (2020). El docente rural ecuatoriano en el siglo XXI. Retos y Desafíos. Dominio de las Ciencias, 6(4), 358–369. https://doi.org/10.23857/dc.v6i4.1765
Córdova-Galvez, M., Vilcanqui-Chambi, V., Flores-Suarez, M., & Beteta-Salas, M. (2024). Liderazgo pedagógico en el contexto rural: Perspectivas de los directivos desde un enfoque territorial. Revista Innova Educación, 6(2), 73-91. https://doi.org/10.35622/j.rie.2024.02.005
Cuestas-Solano, E. A., Carbonell-García, C. E., Millones-Alba, E. L., & Ruiz-Gómez, T. (2023). Liderazgo para una efectiva docencia rural. Revista Arbitrada Interdisciplinaria Koinonía, 8(1), https://doi.org/10.35381/r.k.v8i1.2811
UNESCO. (2025). Liderazgo distribuido en la educación en América Latina: Conceptualización. Global Education Monitoring Report. https://doi.org/10.54676/PGAW6645
Hallinger, P., & Kovačević, J. (2021). Science mapping the knowledge base in educational leadership and management: A longitudinal bibliometric analysis, 1960 to 2018. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49(1), 5-30. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143219859002
Marín-Marín, J.-A., & Álvarez Martínez-Iglesias, J. M. (2024). Desafíos de la escuela en el medio rural para la innovación educativa. En R. García Marín & J. M. Álvarez Martínez-Iglesias (Eds.), Ventanas al universo desde sólidas raíces: la escuela rural y la igualdad de derechos en las sociedades modernas (pp. 103–120). Dykinson. https://doi.org/10.14679/2746
Ministerio de Educación del Ecuador. (2016). Educando en Familia. https://educacion.gob.ec/educando-en-familia/
Murillo, F. J. (2017). Avances en Liderazgo y Mejora de la Educación. Actas del I Congreso Internacional de Liderazgo y Mejora de la Educación.
Rodríguez Coronado, F., & Valverde Madrigal, V. E. (2021). La mediación pedagógica utilizada por una maestra unidocente en el primer ciclo de la Escuela Lourdes de Sacramento, circuito 03 del cantón de Barva, Heredia durante el desarrollo de los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje en la clase de Educación Física. http://hdl.handle.net/11056/20061
Rodríguez-Revelo, J. (2025). Incidencia de la participación familiar y comunitaria para la creación de ambientes de aprendizaje participativos en las instituciones Educativas de Educación General Básica del sector rural | 593 Digital Publisher CEIT. https://www.593dp.com/index.php/593_Digital_Publisher/article/view/3621
Segovia-Quesada, S., Fuster-Guillén, D., Ocaña-Fernández, Y. (2020). Resiliencia del docente en situaciones de enseñanza y aprendizaje en escuelas rurales de Perú. Revista Electrónica Educare, 24(2), 411-436. https://doi.org/10.15359/ree.24-2.20
Supovitz, J. A., Margolis, J., Harrison Berg, J., & Comstock, M. (2020). The Influence of Teacher Leadership Programs on Teacher Leaders, Teachers, Schools, and Districts. (CPRE Research Report). Consortium for Policy Research in Education. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED614209.pdf
Taole, M., Mudau, P., Majola, X., & Mukhati, F. (2024). Instructional Leadership Challenges in Rural Multigrade Schools. REPAM: Research in Educational Policy and Management. https://doi.org/10.46303/repam.2024.8
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 CIENCIA UNEMI
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors can keep the copyright, granting the journal right of first publication. Alternatively, authors can transfer copyright to the journal, which allow authors non-commercial use of the work, including the right to place it in a file open access.
