Marginal Teachers in Türkiye: School Leaders’ Definition, Challenges, and Response Strategies

Abstract

Marginal teachers who consistently underperform, disengage from their duties, and resist improvement represent a critical global issue for education systems, especially for Türkiye, due to weak accountability mechanisms and limited instructional supervision. Principals are primarily responsible for identifying and addressing these issues at the school level. This study examines how school principals define, identify, and address marginal teachers. Using a qualitative design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 18 school principals and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that marginal teachers are characterised by instructional disengagement, student disconnection, organisational withdrawal, counterproductive school behaviour, resistance to professional growth, and reduced professional agency. Principals struggle with legal constraints, interpersonal sensitivities, and limited authority. Principals rely on relationship-based approaches, informal resolution methods, and targeted professional development to address these challenges. The findings provide suggestions for policy and practice regarding intervention strategies for addressing these teachers.