From Teacher to Leader: School Heads' Perceptions of Mentoring Practices for Aspiring Leaders

Abstract

School heads who transition from teaching to leadership roles often face challenges in sustaining mentoring practices for aspiring leaders, particularly when formal mentoring structures are limited. This qualitative descriptive study explored school heads’ perceptions of mentoring practices for aspiring leaders, focusing on how autonomy, competence, relatedness, and other motivating factors shaped their mentoring experiences. Data were gathered through in-depth and semi-structured interviews with five purposively selected school heads from Department of Education schools in the Davao Region, Philippines. The findings showed that autonomy enabled school heads to draw on prior instructional experience, exercise independent judgement, and persist despite institutional constraints and teacher resistance. Competence was strengthened through continuous professional development, recognition of mentee growth, and guidance from seasoned colleagues. Relatedness was expressed through trust, open communication, concern for teachers’ welfare, and careful management of relational distance caused by seniority and overfamiliarity. Beyond these dimensions, moral integrity and purpose emerged as additional factors that sustained mentoring commitment. These were reflected in self-reflection, authenticity, principled leadership, duty, responsibility, and the perceived effect of mentoring on learner outcomes. The study suggests that mentoring aspiring leaders is shaped by both psychological needs and ethical or mission-driven commitments. A structured mentoring framework may support school heads in preparing aspiring leaders more consistently.