From “They are Just Teachers” to Teacher Leaders: A Transformative Faculty Development Experience in Sudan Using Vignettes Pedagogy

This study explored how university faculty members in Sudan conceptualized teacher leadership and examined the extent to which a leadership development module—delivered through either vignette pedagogy or traditional instruction—prompted shifts in those conceptions. Seventeen faculty members participated in semi-structured interviews before and after the intervention. Thematic analysis revealed that, prior to the module, participants largely viewed teachers as compliant implementers focused on discipline, curriculum coverage, and adherence to policy. Leadership was not associated with the teaching role. Post-intervention, particularly among those exposed to vignette pedagogy, participants began to articulate more expansive conceptions of teacher leadership. Vignettes supported critical reflection, deepened empathy with classroom dilemmas, and provoked reconsideration of teachers as change agents and relational leaders. These shifts suggest that pedagogical modality plays a key role in enabling transformative learning among higher education faculty.