The Depiction of Servant Teacher Leadership Attributes in Mass Media: A Characterization Analysis of the Protagonist in Rita TV Series

Abstract

Taking into account the critical role of teacher leadership in school development and the importance of fostering its training through image media, this study aims to identify the ten proposed attributes of Greenleaf servant leadership exemplified by the protagonist of a popular comedy-drama television show called Rita. Adopting the notion of characterization, a qualitative study approach was used to identify the proposed Greenleaf's ten traits of servant leader (SL) demonstrated by the main character by evaluating her interactions with students and their parents, co-teachers, the principal, and school policymakers. The findings revealed that the character is an effective servant teacher leader, as her personality portrayed all the ten qualities proposed in Greenleaf SL. This implies that preservice and in-service educators can utilize the show as a reflective tool for enhancing Servant Teacher Leadership (STL) competencies in the classroom. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge about teacher representation on television shows and the implications for teacher leadership education. A future research direction is also presented.